Keeping A Promise
by Lanx Borealis
Summary: After the death of his estranged student, Nicholas Flamel, Edward Elric gives the man one promise: To protect Harry Potter, the child who helped save the Stone. But when writing in blood start appearing in the walls of Hogwarts, hinting at an old evil returning, Edward must prevent the repeat of fifty years ago. Currently under major rewrites. I will return, just don't know when.
1. Deathbed Promises:Start of Prt 1

**This fan fiction is currently being REWRITTEN!**

**I'm going chapter by chapter and things are being changed, combined, added in, taken out, and everything else.**

**THINGS MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE!**

**THINGS WILL JUMP AROUND!**

**THE WRITING WILL FLUCTUATE! **

**This is pretty much a bit of a disaster right now. **

**So, keep that in mind when reading. **

**Thank you for checking this out and reading it even though it's in this state.**

~~0~~0~~0~~

"_Nicholas, what the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Cried out a golden-haired man in a dark brown coat. Red lightning flashed and crackled, spinning wildly in to the sky and ripping across the ground in deadly arcs. Despite the danger, the slightly shorter man in nature ran on, racing to stop the man crouched down at the edge of a not only massive, but very familiar, transmutation circle carved onto the ground. The circle was perfect. With perfectly curved lines and every symbol perfectly balanced, nothing could go wrong. Nicholas knew he would succeed. A sharp, slightly grim smile spread across his dark features. Meanwhile, the blond was nearing the man, every instinct within him screaming at him to stop his now former, way-ward student._

"_The hell Nicholas! Stop! Right now!" The blond screamed, only a few feet away from stopping the horror that was tearing the entirety of Europe apart. The birth of the Crimson stone. The Devil's work._

_The Philosopher's Stone._

_But that's when everything went wrong._

_The blond neared his former student, his goal being to rip his arms away from the array to stop the disaster that would inevitably come. But as he got close, Nicholas whipped his head around, eyes reflecting the blood red lightning, madness lurking within their depths. Just as the light began to die out, the process complete, the blond reached out to Nicholas, readying to slug him straight across the jaw in an anger and metal filled punch. Nicholas, remembering the physical training the blond had given him years ago, lashed out at the attacking man, causing him to tumble over Nicholas and roll right into the center of the array._

_Right where the brand-new massive Philosopher's Stone was._

_The blond screamed in pain at the same time Nicholas let out a cry of anger. The large Philosopher's Stone was gone, having melted into one of the many cuts that adorned the blonde's skin due to the attack he endured._

_The blonde's scream of agony tore through the night. Veins bulged and every organ, every nerve, every cell within the poor man's body felt as if it was on fire. The Blond thought he knew pain. That he had endured some of the world's most horrible agony, such as the automail surgery and, of course, the __separation of his brother. But that pain was nothing compared to the feeling of the Philosopher's Stone being fused to him. Pure flames ripped through everything he was, tearing at his mind and sanity. The blond, for once in his life, begged for the pain to stop, begged for death to just stop this maddening torture. He begged for everything and anything._

_And then, everything stopped._

~~0~~0~~0~~

A slight _tap, tap, tap_ interrupted the young man's work. He was hunched down over a wooden desk, books and research papers littering the ground around him. The desk was so overstuffed with papers, books, pencils, and all sorts of other tools, that you couldn't even see the table top. The blond growled. He was already irritated with his work. He had reached, yet again, another dead end, and with this as his last lead, he was even more pissed. So when an _owl_ of all things decided to come and interrupt him, he had half a mind to wring the poor bird's neck. With a sharp sigh, he stormed over to the window and yanked it open. The bird flew in, its yellow eyes glaring at him in distrust and hostility. Ripping the note from the owl's leg, the man stared at the letter, somehow even more irritated than before. He thought he told the damn wizards to _fuck off_ already; but obviously the message went in one ear and out the other. Wizards were not only close-minded and annoying, but persistent and old fashioned, as well as…

The man shook himself out of his thoughts. Glancing at the letter, he read, in neat and swirly

handwriting:

_Edwin Eichel_

"Edwin" sighed. He knew exactly who sent him the letter and was surprised. He hadn't gone by the name "Edwin Eichel" for a _very_ long time. At least fifty years, he supposed, more or less.

Glaring at the offending piece of mail in his hand, "Edwin" debated whether or not he should actually open it. If his old_ "friend"_-he thought bitterly- was sending him a letter that meant the bastard wanted him for something and that was never happening. Though "Edwin" did have the ability to perform "magic," he despised the actual practice. He still had no true idea how it worked, where the Equivalent Exchange was, only theories. Not only could he not stand the practice of such a…art, he disliked the majority of wizards in general. The entire culture was cut off from the "real world," and that would bring

nothing but problems. In fact, he knew it brought problems. He was pretty sure that fifty years haven't changed wizards what-so-ever, probably still didn't even know what a light bulb was.

With a light growl, he ripped the letter opened, surprised when he saw that the letter was no letter. In fact, when he opened the "letter," a tacky looking ring fell out of it, hitting the floor with a dull _clunk_. Curious, "Edwin" bent down to look at the strange piece of jewelry. The ring was overly large, with an ugly bronze band that was ridiculously thick and a dull, fake blue jewel in the center. The ring was very strange and "Edwin" let himself ponder for a moment why women would wear such strange things. Bending down, he lifted the offending ring up to take a better look at it.

That's when "Edwin" felt a strange tingly feeling, than a sharp tug. The world blended all around him and he found that he couldn't let go of the ring. As the racing colors slowed down, "Edwin" seethed with anger.

His old _"friend" _had sent him a portkey.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Groaning, "Edwin" sat up, rubbing his head from when he fell to the floor. He had never been a fan of any sort of wizard's travel and he hadn't actually traveled by portkey in so long that he wasn't used to the feeling at all, having fell to the floor right away. "Edwin" rubbed his tired eyes, wondering why he had to have such a large lunch that day and stared around at the room he was now in. The room was very familiar, seeing the same old professor's desk in front of him, as well as the strange moving pictures that adorned the wall. The past headmasters stared down at him with slight recognition and curiosity. Despite the familiarity of the room, "Edwin" could distinctly remember that the table with all the strange silvery instruments was new, along with the bird stand and the old phoenix that it housed. Climbing to his feet, "Edwin stared long and hard at his old _"friend,"_taking in all the new changes that befallen the man the past fifty years.

Dumbledore still had that annoying, and slightly creepy, twinkle in his eyes. His hair was still worn long, like his own, but instead of it being brown, it was now old silver. Along with his long hair, he had an equally long beard. He still wore that strange _dress_ that all wizards wore and just like a stereotypical wizard, his _dress_ was a dark blue adorned with stars. Dumbles also wore a cone shaped wizard's hat that had the same pattern. His blue eyes bore into "Edwin," struggling to read his mind, to break him down and try to understand him.

_Nice try, Dumbles._ Mused "Edwin." His mental shields were powerful; Dumbles couldn't just walk in on his mind. "Edwin" let a small smirk grace his features, easily proud of himself.

"Edwin, it is good to see you. Though I swear that your hair color was brown and cut very _short_ the last time I saw you!" Dumbledore greeted, an easy smile on his face that spoke more of just friendship.

"Edwin" frowned, letting his muddy brown eyes meet the headmaster's, flicking his now long black hair trailing down just past his shoulder blades, in a thick and simple high ponytail, away in a simple gesture. He had a slight mental twitch at the _cursed_ word that spilled from Dumbles lips. He was _not short_. In fact, he was now five and a half feet tall, which was _average _not _short_. His contact-covered eyes bore into Dumbledore's sparkly blues. Just two minutes with the man and he already felt like he needed an aspirin. Letting a low growl out under his breath, "Edwin" decided that the faster this exchange went, the less time he had to spend with Dumbles and his irritating school.

"Can't say the same about you, Dumbledore. I thought I told you to _fuck off_ and leave me the hell alone? I really meant what I said last time; leave me out of your dumb culture. I want no part of your "Wizarding world" Finished "Edwin," an angry undertone evident to his usual calm voice. He had no idea why Dumbles called him out here and if it weren't for the fact that he had no way to escape, he would've been long gone by now.

"Edwin, I contacted you because my friend, Nicholas, wanted me to. He's dying, Edwin. The Sorcerer's Stone has been destroyed and he wants to see you."

"Edwin's" eyes locked onto Dumbledore's with slight shock. He couldn't remember how many years it's been since he saw his old student. He had heard rumors of the "Sorcerer's Stone" but it didn't take much to figure out that that particular stone was completely fake. Made out of mostly magic, with barley any alchemy in it, the stone could do what any alchemist worth two grains of salt could do, make metals into gold. As for immortality, though he had never seen the Stone, he suspected that the Elixir of Life only prolonged life as long as the user drank a dose each and every day. Not true immortality, but instead incredibly slow aging.

"Edwin" thought for a moment. Should he really see Nicholas? His only _true_ student, lying in bed? Last time he had spoken with the man, "Edwin" was thrown into a newly created Philosopher's Stone. Afterwards, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of his former student and though he was itching to find him at the time and beat him within an inch of his life, he held himself back. He had to figure out the, at the time, current situation, and sort out his thoughts. Between that, Nicholas escaped his thoughts, somehow, and "Edwin" figured that there was no point in finding him. Finding him wouldn't bring the dead back to life. It wouldn't make him human again.

Besides, at the time, "Edwin" was scared that his emotions would get the better of him and he would accidently kill his former student.

_So, should I see my former student?_ "Edwin" asked himself? His thoughts tossed each other around, a silent debate on whether or not he should go. After a few more seconds of sorting out his mind, "Edwin" had an answer.

"Of course. It's the least I can do." He answered. Though he knew God didn't exist, "Edwin" caught himself in a silent prayer that nothing would go wrong with this confrontation.

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling even more at the positive answer. Nicholas had thought that the black-haired man would refuse his offer. He will be pleased to see "Edwin" again. Making a gesture to follow him, Dumbledore slipped behind his desk, opening a drawer to reveal a battered looking piece of parchment. Random scribbles of different colored inks marked the surface, like someone was testing different ink colors on it.

Dumbledore turned to the black-haired man that stood next to him. Giving him a smile, Dumbledore counted to three and both men touched the portkey, letting colors ripple around them as they were yanked from the relatively safe school to the one and only creator of both the Philosopher's Stone and Sorcerer's Stone.

~~0~~0~~0~~

"Edwin" wasn't sure what he was to be expecting. It had been-what? Six hundred years? Seven hundred years? Since he had seen him former student. Last time "Edwin" checked, Nicholas was interested in not only both magic and alchemy, but non-magical knowledge as well. Knowledge was knowledge in Nicholas's eyes, and he wanted it all and that fact in itself was what led to their falling out and the creation of a monstrosity. "Edwin" also remembered that Nicholas had a love for flamboyant clothing and objects, reminding "Edwin" of the days he donned a red jacket with white gloves. Those days were long gone, brown replacing the red and black replacing the white.

As the world stopped spinning around him, (He thankfully, didn't fall down this time.) "Edwin" noticed he was in the living room of a small cottage. A very warm and bright fire roared in the stone fireplace while cushy red armchairs filled the rest of the room. The floor was made out of a red wood of sorts that he didn't give the time to figure out what exact type of wood it was, and an intricate golden rug was spread across the room, ducking underneath all offending chairs and side tables that the room held. Besides the fire, small candles dotted the room around him on various shelves, brightening the room slightly. "Edwin" shook his head.

As he had expected, wizards _still_ didn't know what a light bulb was. Pathetic.

"Edwin" was shook from his stupor by a small, throat-clearing noise from the left side of the room. He noticed Dumbledore standing next to a wooden door that seemed to be opened a crack. Weaving his way through the maze of furniture, "Edwin" softly pushed open the door a bit more, sliding into the darkened room, closing the door behind him, locking Dumbles into the living space.

"Edwin" could tell that the room belonged to Nicholas. Besides the large bed that lay in the corner, a large desk sat against the wall. Papers and books were stacked neatly. Nicholas had always been much more organized than "Edwin." Besides the neat desk, bookcases stuffed neatly with books and research folders were lined on the walls, so tall that they reached the ceiling.

"Edwin" made his way to the bed that lay in the corner. The room had a single window, moonlight pouring from it onto the wrinkled, old face of his beloved student. Without the Elixir of Life, Nicholas aged quickly to what he would actually look like. His skin was horribly pruned and wrinkled, having so many folds that he looked like a crumpled up blanket. His eyes were bloodshot, pale, and watery. He no longer had any hair, having shed all the silver locks.

Overall, Nicholas looked like death.

"Edwin" gulped, unable to say any words. He had no clue how to talk to Nicholas, though that wasn't entirely strange. In nearly seven hundred years, "Edwin" sill couldn't figure people out. He had never been a people person and he never will be.

Nicholas's wrinkles smiled at him, his dull eyes glowing at him with not only admiration, but sadness, guilt and many more emotions that couldn't be fathomed. A slight awkward silence filled the air, until Nickolas cracked the silence with a positive statement.

"It's good to see you again, sir." Nicholas gasped. His voice was scratchy, age dragging the pitch and understandability down. Despite the mangling of vocal cords, "Edwin" could understand it perfectly.

"I'm surprised you even found me. I took great care in all my forgeries and I haven't gone by my true name ever since we parted." "Edwin" replied, completely neutral. "And don't call me sir. You know I hate that." He muttered as an afterthought, a slight smirk working its way onto his features.

"It was difficult. In fact, I lost track countless times, but I eventually came across some old records of an _Alchemist_ teacher at Hogwarts around fifty years ago. Of course, I searched into this and found a picture. I must say, you're pretty good at disguising your appearance, but I could figure it out, sir!" Nicholas explained. A boyish glint in his eyes as his wrinkles lifted up in a muggy grin.

"Edwin" smiled, a warm light in his eyes. Yes, Nicholas performed a taboo. Yes, he slaughtered millions to create a monstrosity. But "Edwin" himself wasn't entirely clean either. Plus, Nicholas was still his student. The only student he ever took in that he believed to be an actual student. Not only that, but "Edwin" could clearly see the pain and regret that lit his former-students eyes as he gazed upon him. "Edwin" stared down at the old man.

"I can't entirely forgive you for what you've done. But I can tell, in your eyes, that the regret that has eaten you for the past seven hundred years has done the damage. Equivalent Exchange, no?"

Nicholas stared at his old teacher, amazement written clearly upon his face. Fresh tears gathered over his pale eyes, spilling over the brim, causing twin streams of silver to trail down his cheeks before getting caught in the folds of his face.

"I-I regret that day ever since it happened. I was too selfish and scared. I feared aging, I feared dying, and that's what drove me. I eventually figured out how to combine magic and alchemy to create a replica of the real stone, called the Sorcerer's Stone. It did its job to an extent; slowing my aging down to such a slow pace that, if it hadn't been destroyed, I could still live for around two or three thousand years."

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that. What happened to that stone? I mean, I'm glad it's destroyed and all, but still." "Edwin" asked.

Nicholas smiled, the shining light in his eyes never wavering. "The story is too long and I have little time left. Before I go, I wanted to ask you a…favor."

"Edwin" frowned. He had no clue on what Nicholas wanted him to do, but with the fact that the man was on his death-bed, literally, a single favor is the least he could do.

"There is a boy that I want you to look after. He protected the stone from on old evil, and though it was through Albus, convinced me to destroy the stone. I want you to protect the child." Nicholas asked.

"Edwin" looked shocked for a minute, until his face melted back into a cold hardness. He let out a soft growl. "Nicholas, I want _nothing_ to do with the Wizarding World! Plus, I already tried a mission like this fifty years ago and failed _miserably_."

"Harry Potter is a very special case. He was able to defeat…well, Tom Riddle as you know him or how the world knows him, Lord Voldemort. Not only that, but even though he knew the powers of the stone, he wanted nothing from it. He had no intention of using it. Actually, from what I understand, the thought of using it had never even crossed his mind. He is nothing like Voldemort. Or me. Or even _you_ for that matter." Nicholas gasped, his argument running dry.

"Edwin" frowned. He wasn't sure how this "Harry" was able to defeat Riddle. Or "You-Know-Who." Or Voldemort, whatever the hell that names supposed to mean. "Voldemort" was a pretty stupid name. However, "Edwin" could tell that this information came from Dumbles and though Dumbles was a manipulative bastard, he didn't outright lie; only skirted around the truth. Though he was a bit intrigued that the boy didn't want the power himself, he was coming upon a realization on what this mission would mean.

"I'm going to have to return to Hogwarts for this, won't I?" He asked bitterly, a small scowl appearing on his features.

Nicholas frowned slightly, but answered his question with a breathy sigh. "Yes, you will have to return to not only Hogwarts, but the Wizarding world."

"Edwin" stared hard at his former student. Nicholas glanced up at his fierce expression, unable to tell what the young-looking man was thinking. Finally, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Edwin" let out a frustrated huff of air.

"Fine! I'll do it. But only because you're dying and it's your last wish." "Edwin" growled.

Nickolas let out a tiring sigh, his droopy eyes sliding closed for the last time. "Thank you, Edward. Truly. And before I go, I just want to say, you looked _much_ better with blond hair."

Edward let out a sharp huff through his nose as Nicholas died. The ghost of tears formed at the edge of his eyes, but didn't fall. Nicholas has lived a very long and very painful life; he deserved an eternity of rest. Turning from the bed, he made his way out of the quiet bedroom, a new goal and plan in his mind.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Dumbledore stared at the man in front of him. After returning to the Hogwarts castle, "Edwin" told him the promise he made Nicholas, how he would watch over Harry Potter and resume activity in the Wizarding World.

"I'm going to need a new identity. And a new wand. A new everything I suppose." "Edwin" mused. Then, a thoughtful expression came over him features. A mischievous look crossed his face. _I could always…I mean that identity hasn't been used in seven hundred years. Besides, I doubt there are records of that insignificant name that date back that far. _"Edwin" smirked.

"Actually, maybe I don't need a new everything."

Dumbledore watched in surprise as "Edwin" reached up and slipped two brown colored covers of his eyes, revealing the molten, golden orbs. He tossed Dumbledore a carefree smile and held out his hand for Dumbledore to shake.

"Name's Edward Elric. I'm your new Alchemy teacher."

~~0~~0~~0~~


	2. Dinner is Useless

**Disclaimer- I do not own either Harry Potter OR Fullmetal Alchemist! If I did, I wouldn't be writing stories on FANfiction!**

**Oh, I also want to note that I messed around with history a bit and made Nicholas Flamel be born in the 13th century instead of the 14th century so I could include the **_**Black Death**_** in my story. Sorry to any hard-headed historians out there!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Red lightning crackled around him as the bones in his neck realigned and snapped back in place, reversing the process of his snapped neck. The blond man let out another scream of frustration and sorrow. He must have killed himself at least seventy times! No matter what he did, he always bounced back to life. He had tried everything he could think of. He had started out simple. A noose tied to a tree. Slashed wrists. A sword through the stomach and the heart. As these methods failed, he moved on to much more…drastic measures. Elaborate traps to impale him in all his major organs at once, beheading himself, burning himself to a crisp, drowning himself. He even tried to get sickness from letting diseased animals bite him. Nothing worked._

_The blond stared around at the clearing where his morbid actions were taking place. A sluggish river was placed to his right and trees towered over him at every turn. Crimson blood stained the entire clearing. Every blade of grass was gifted a shower from the suicidal man, making their color a deep red. Even the river had hints of red in it. Nooses hung from trees, some broken and others not. His elaborate traps were destroyed, due to the fact that the blond man lost control of his temper every time his quest for killing himself failed. The blond felt himself slipping into madness. The voices, which he normally blocked out, were starting to form into stronger whispers. He couldn't help but wonder what his friends back at home would think of him if they realized what he was doing, what he was. Surly his brother would forgive him. That was in his nature after all. Mustang would probably tell him to get his shit together and throw in some short jokes while he was at it. Teacher would-_

_The blond flinched visibly. He was too scared to even _think_ about what Teacher would do!_

_As these blocked feelings washed over him, the blond collapsed to bloody floor, gripping his blood stained hair, ripping out large chunks. He couldn't go back to them. He was the stone now and he couldn't go home. It would put his entire country in danger again and he could never risk his loved ones lives to just see them again in person one more time. Besides, he couldn't die. If he went back, he would have to watch everyone around him grow old and withered before they died, leaving him alone. Forever._

_The blonde's mind finally snapped. The voices a deafening crescendo in his head._

"_No stop! Please!"_

"_It hurts! It hurts!"_

"_Mommy? Where's my mommy? MOMMY!"_

"_Where am I? Where am I? Where am-"_

"_Save me! Please save me!"_

"_God? Where are you? God SAVE ME!"_

_The blond screamed into the dirt, his mind reeling from all the voices. He couldn't tell where he was, what was up and what was down. Hell, he even couldn't remember _who_ he was!_

_He was an old man, praying at the church. Now he was a pregnant woman. Now he was a beggar on the streets. Now he was a young man that had contracted the Black Death. Now he was-_

"_Hello? Mister? Where am I? Who are you?" A young, female voice asked, somehow quieting the torrent of human despair that echoed hollowly within his mind._

"_Huh?" the blond thought back, confused._

"_My names Isabella, mister." The voice said. "It is very dark here; can you please tell me where I am?"_

_The blond was shocked. The girl-Isabella-had actual thoughts! She wasn't completely dead! Did that mean everyone was still _alive_ in some way? Inside him? If that's true, then maybe that's why everyone was screaming. Most of these people were dying of the Black Death. Now they made up the Philosopher's Stone inside him, pure souls without a body. The blond felt horribly sickened, but at the same time relieved. Now he really couldn't go back. Going back meant sacrifice of another human life. He had promised his brother that they wouldn't sacrifice any person to get their bodies back and now the blond felt as if the same promise applied here. He could never use a human being as a payment for the toll. Never. The blond smiled outwardly, pushing himself to a sitting position and stopped clutching his head. Reaching deeply into himself, he struggled to try to connect himself to every soul, every human within him. Somehow, he knew how to connect with these people. It was instinctual and he figured if he hadn't been so focused on killing himself and blocking them out, he would've figured this out already._

"_Everyone" the blond started, somehow knowing that his 'Voice' had grabbed the attention of everyone inside him. "I know you are all very confused. And scared. But let me explain. I am going to tell all of you everything. And in return I want to hear all of your stories, your lives. We're stuck together now, all of us and its best to get along."_

_Feeling everyone's attention focused solely on him, the blond began his tragic tale, from the very beginning._

"_There once were two brothers. The younger brother was named Alphonse Elric and the older brother was named Edward Elric…"_

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward stared down at his white gloved hands. It hadn't taken too long to return to his temporary home and let Dumbles transport his stuff to Hogwarts. It was actually lucky he didn't have a job currently or his strange and sudden disappearance would've made people suspicious. Edward let his mind wander a bit. Not wander _too_ far for fear of being drawn into his own nightmare of memories, but he did let himself think of all the odd-jobs he's picked up in his roughly seven hundred years. Such as the invention of the car. Or (some) better hygiene. Or the Apollo Program. After all that work, teaching in a magic school for the second time didn't seem all that exciting. He already tried it and decided he disliked it. There were constantly papers to grade and hand out, tests to make, snotty and irritating kids he had to put up with…

_Ugh, now I know how Mustang feels. Wait, no, felt…_

Edward shook his head violently. _Don't think about it. _He thought. _Don't think about it. Never think about it. Don't be drawn into memories. Keep moving forward. Don't think. Don't think. DON'T THINK!_

Edward growled and pushed himself up from the cramped desk piled with papers. He had been lucky to get a decently sized room. A bed with a simple spread was shoved in the corner while the walls were just bookcases. His new desk was also larger and had drawers in it for pens and extra paper. Overall, it was pretty decent and would suit his needs.

Weaving his way through the maze on unpacked boxes, he swung the door open and went into the connected classroom. An even larger desk for the teacher sat at the front while about thirty students' desks faced it. A massive chalk board that took up nearly the entire wall was behind his classroom desk. Fresh boxes of chalk were stacked neatly upon the desk, along with parchment, (why couldn't wizards use paper? It was cheaper.) quills, and ink. (Pens would be easier. Don't have to dip them in ink every other four letter word!)

Edward still couldn't believe that he actually came back to Hogwarts. To teach alchemy once again. To be honest, he knew most wizards won't get it. In his seven years of teaching from before, only around fifteen students truly excelled at the subject. It was a shame to hear that none of them continued the art outside school. Though many more did scrape by, they had merely been mediocre students that didn't even really deserve to be called "Alchemists." Now he was redoing exactly what he did all those years ago. Sadly, he lost his old lesson plans, though, he figured, he could always recreate them anyways.

Sighing, he made his way to the classroom door, glancing at his reflections at the dark windows. Edward had decided to not only honor Nicholas's last wishes, but to return to his true identity, which included clothing. His golden eyes blazed from the window's reflection, matching his braided golden hair perfectly. His unruly bangs were grown out once again and framed his face. His red coat was flashy as ever, still holding his Teacher's symbol, a cross with a snake wrapped around it, on the back. Underneath he wore his black tank top, along with the black overcoat. He had on his old black leather pants along with the thick brown belt and finishing off the look was his black and red elevator boots which boosted him from average height to around five feet, nine inches, give or take.

Overall, he looked exactly like he did do many years ago. Staring at his reflection a bit more, Edward felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him. He blocked all the memories of Amestris from his mind. Though time could heal almost all physical wounds, emotional wounds will always be scabs. Just a little bit of scratching and you'll find blood oozing out all over you again.

Slipping out into the hallway, Edward decided to actually go to dinner. Though it'd be a few weeks until term started, almost all the teachers were here and had dinner together in the Great Hall. Well, minus him, usually. This would be his third time actually going to dinner since the entirety of the two months he's been here. Edward sighed. He really didn't want to go but a notice from Dumbles that day _suggested_ (more like told) him to go. Though he rarely listened to authority, Edward decided it would be better to give into this one demand to avoid headaches later on.

Making his way down long hallways and devious stairways, Edward finally reached the Great Hall. Slipping inside, he slunk against the wall to the Head table. Though the students wouldn't be arriving for a good while, the house tables were already set up and ready for use. Making his way to his assigned seat, which was luckily at the very end of the right hand side of the table, he slipped into his chair as quietly as possible.

"Professor Elric! Finally decided to come outta your room didn't ye?"

_Well shit._ Edward thought.

Edward quickly stuffed some food into his mouth so he didn't have to talk. Though Rubeus Hagrid was a very kind person and he normally didn't mind his presence, he had caught Edward in a bad mood. Edward had run out of theories on how humans could travel past the moon without the theoretical problems. He was back to the drawing board and that greatly infuriated him. On top of that, he hadn't found his old pocket watch yet, the only thing he had kept from Amestris that wasn't his automail. He knew it was in a box somewhere, but he wasn't sure which one and he hated having to rifle through the unorganized boxes filled with his research and books to search for the blasted thing.

Edward swallowed his large bite, nodding at Hagrid as he shoveled more food into his gaping maw. Despite not being human, he still retained his need to eat. And now that he thought of it, sleep. Maybe it was to do with the fact that he was born a human? He wasn't sure. _Oh well. I would've missed eating and sleeping anyways._ He thought to himself. He barley registered Hagrid talking to him, giving the man nods of agreement when needed. As soon as he was finished, he said a weak goodbye to Hagrid and slunk out of his chair, wanting to get back to his room as fast as possible. _I should've just ignored the demand. Screw this. _Edward thought._  
_

Slipping away, Edward caught the small twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes as the said man talked to a stern looking witch. McGonagall. Out of all the teachers here, he was most worried about her. She knew him the last time he taught here. On top of that, McGonagall was sharp and to the point. Out of all the professors, she was the one who could eventually discover who he used to be and even figure out he was immortal…

Edward quickly shook his head. No use getting paranoid over something that probably won't happen. Walking briskly back to his office for more research, he figured that old man was trying to get him to open up to more of the teachers.

_Like that will ever happen. _Edward snorted. Out of all the normal teachers he met, only Snape really interested him. Edward could tell the man had a dark and dirty past and Edward could relate to that. On top of that, however, was the fact that Snape was one of the few wizards that actually had more than two grains of sense, which was always welcomed. The only other person Edward could stand was Hagrid. It was hard to not like the kind giant and that pure kindness reminded him of his brother.

Slinking into his bedroom, Edward took one glance at his cluttered desk before flopping into the cozy bed. Nuzzling into the blankets, Edward let sorrow wash over him as he remembered Al and all the adventures they went through. How, despite what people said around him, he was sure he was going to get his brothers body back. And he had fulfilled his promise. Al had gotten his body back. Edward wondered how his life is, how he's coping…

_Wait, no. was._ Edward reminded himself bitterly. By now, Al was surly dead. Edward squeezed his eyes tight. No matter how many years that will pass, Edward knew that the guilt and sadness would always plague him. No matter what.

And with those depressing thoughts heavy on his mind, Edward fell into deep waters of poisoned sleep, filled with the painful reminder that his home was gone.

Maybe wearing the same clothes as before wasn't such a good idea after all.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**A/N:**

**Sorry for the short chapter! This was mainly a filler, just setting things up and such. Next chapter will actually be pretty important! I originally was going to wait a few days to post this chapter but I decided "Why wait?!" and went ahead!**

**Oh, and to answer your question, meladi1, I did the math and originally it turned out that Ed is 666 years old. (didn't do that on purpose!) So I changed it so that he was 667 so I wouldn't offend anyone.**

**and the math is a bit like this**

**Ed turned up in our world (16 years old) in 1343**

**seven years later (1350) he absorbed the stone**

**the story takes place in 1993**

**so that would make Ed's age 667.**

**Anyways, as always thanks for reading and of course, review!**


	3. Disaster in a Book Store

**Disclaimer- I own neither HP or FMA. If I did, Harry and Ed would've met a long time ago!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Seventy-four._

_His rampage of self-loathing suicides killed seventy-four souls inside him. He murdered seventy-four people because he was being a selfish bastard. Edward felt like carving his own heart out. Letting Hell's fire burn him into nonexistence. He felt as if _he_ himself no longer deserved to live._

_In which he didn't._

_He's made too many mistakes, so many mistakes. His personal sins are what started this entire mess. Seventy-four dead. Millions of souls formed into an irreversible Philosopher's Stone. His only student turned into a greedy monster. His brother separated from him for the rest of his life. Before, Edward had shreds of hope to cling on. Hope that he would find a way back and be with friends and family once more._

_But Truth was a cruel and sick son-of-a-bitch._

_Edward stared at the mass graveyard in front of him. Upon realizing that he had been murdering the people inside him the entire time, he had been sick. On top of that, his self-hate rose to levels he thought weren't possible. But he had tried to give the loss souls some justice. No one inside him knew who died and he didn't know either, so instead of normal gravestones, Edward used alchemy to create seventy-four rock crosses to represent every person who's died. The rock he used was tough and he knew that the somber graveyard wouldn't be disturbed, even if it was found. He was so far from civilization he felt as if he were the only person left on the planet. _

_Right now, he wished the opposite were true. _

_Millions upon millions of souls resided inside him. They would keep him alive. As long as he didn't get too many major injuries, he will continue to live on for millions of years. He literally had all the time in the world._

_And it sickened him._

_But he had to keep living. The Dark Ages weren't going to last forever and now that he was immortal, he could start helping people more. Maybe he could try to change this dark and dreary backwater world for the better. _

_Edward felt the souls inside him shift. He knew every single one of them personally. They knew him personally. They knew each other personally. And they hated his self-loathing. He could feel them, hear them, calling out words to soothe his hurt, telling him that _"Everything's going to be okay." _And that he was _"Alright"_ and that he was not a _"monster."

_Their words soothed him greatly. They knew exactly what to say to put him in a slightly better mood. Not happy, but definitely less hateful._

_Because he was all they had. And they were all he had. The souls inside him, they weren't really friends. No,"_ friend"_ wasn't the correct word. Neither was family._

_Whatever the souls were to him, it mattered. He was living because they wanted him to; because inside him, they were human and no human deserved to die. Just because a person doesn't have a body doesn't mean that they are not human. _

_Letting out a long-winded and painful sigh, Edward turned away from the mass grave site, making his way into the next dark chapter of his now immortal life._

~~0~~0~~0~~

The next morning, Edward rolled out of bed with a grumble. Weak light was given off by forever-burning torches, creating a gloomy atmosphere around his room. Stretching out his arms and giving a large, face-consuming yawn, Edward glanced at the bedside clock. He rubbed sleep from his eyes quickly when he read the time.

10:09 AM

Damn.

Edward fixed the wrinkles out of his slept in clothes from the night before and went out into the hallway, stomach snarling fiercely at the thought of food. Walking a familiar path through the twisting hallways, he slipped inside the kitchens. Upon his entry, every house elf scrambled to get him something to eat. Deciding on two slices of offered toast, he made his way back to his personal stash of books.

_Damn._ _I'm all out of books on Magical Theory. _Edward thought.

Despite Hogwarts' massive library, Edward had read through many of the books there, though not all. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to make weekly trips to Diagon Alley as well as London made him wait to go and rip through the place. But seeing that he had run out of books of magic to read, it seemed he needed to make a trip. Edward mentally cursed himself. This was the week all the Hogwarts students would be getting their supplies for the year. The place was going to be packed. Edward gave out an irritating sigh. With good luck, this trip wouldn't take long and will go smoothly.

Sad that he has never been known to possess any sort of good luck.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward grumbled as he reached out to knock on the door to the headmaster's. Though in the past he usually barged into places without a second thought; Dumbledore was creepy and that reason alone made him knock before he entered. After the slightly muffled "Come in," Edward kicked the door open (literally) and strode into the strange office.

Dumbledore glanced up from some letters on his desk that appeared to be late Hogwarts acceptance letters. Edward mentally winced as he asked the old wizard an embarrassing question.

"Can I use some floo powder to get to Diagon Alley?" Edward asked with a grimace.

In the past, Edward travelled a lot. So much in fact that un-comfy train seats were hardly a bother. When cars and airplanes were invented, he traveled often by those as well. Though cars were the best quick transportation the world had to offer currently, he still liked trains the best. Airplanes were fascinating and all, but he could easily see the danger of flying. At least with a train and a car, it was possible to jump and live to tell the tale. These methods of transportation made sense and were particle.

Wizard transportation was the opposite.

Apparation led to missing body parts, floo powder made little sense, and portkey was just plain _uncomfortable_. Wizardly ways of traveling were a pain in the ass. But he needed to get to Diagon Alley, then London. In and out. Shouldn't be too painful.

Hopefully.

Dumbledore smiled. He knew well about Edward's dislike of wizarding travel and it amused him greatly. A man who has lived countless generations, who has seen the world age and grow like no other, a man who is the closest to God himself, dislikes simple, safe, and quick wizardly travel. Dumbledore almost let a small chuckle out at his thoughts. Sometimes Edward could act so childishly. It showed that the world hadn't completely broken him down, which was a positive thought.

"Of course you can Edward. The fire place should have a jar filled. Make sure you bring some for return trip home!" Dumbledore replied before slipping his attention back to the paperwork in front of him.

Edward sighed before he walked over to the large and imposing fireplace. The mantle contained a silver jar with a phoenix lid topper. Peering into the jar, in grabbed two handfuls of the sparkling jade glitter, getting a painful reminder of Armstrong and his pink sparkles that mysteriously floated around the muscle-bound man. Pushing away the sense of despair and self-loathing, he threw one handful into the fireplace, letting the emerald flames free to spark and flicker like real fire. Pocketing the other handful of glitter, he stepped into the flames.

"The Leaky Cauldron!"

~~0~~0~~0~~

"Urmph!" Edward cried upon entering the pub. He had automatically lost his footing as soon as the world stopped spinning around his head. Picking himself off the dusty wooden floor, he glared around at the people staring at him, daring them to say something with his molten gaze. Muttering curses about wizarding travel under his breath in Amestrian, he dusted himself off and walked towards where the alley was. Staring up at the bricks, he clapped his hands together, letting the familiar sound wash over his ear drums before slapping them to the brick wall, creating an opening to slip through in a blinding flash of blue electrical light. Upon entering the other side, Edward clapped again and closed the doorway, gaining some scattered claps, as well as "oohs" and "ahhs" from people who caught sight of his alchemy, or "wandless magic" as most wizards believed.

Looking down the alley, he noticed it hadn't changed much in the years he was away. A few new shops replaced old ones and the cobble was a bit more worn. Besides that, everything was the same. The street was packed with both children and adults of all kind, most wearing robes. Edward was lucky, his normal outfit could pass off as both wizarding clothes (albeit, very strange ones.) as well as normal people clothes.

Weaving through screeching children and worrying adults, Edward made a check list of items he needed. Might as well as get as many things as possible so he didn't have to take trips during the school year. _Let's see…_ Edward thought to himself. _I need more books, of course, as well as some more material to make more clothing. It's hard when you only have three of the same outfit. I'll need at least seven. One for each day of the week. Oh, I'll also need a wand. If I remember correctly, I broke my last one and burned the pieces after I left._

Deciding on the clothing materials first, he went into a small shop labeled _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. _Inside, several students and wizards were being measured and checked out. Walking up to one of the witches working there, he was able to get some simple black material and different color dyes. The witches there gave him some odd looks, but sold the materials to him easily enough.

He was in and out within five minutes. What a relief.

One glance at _Flourish and Blotts _told him to come back later. A frightfully large amount of witches were starting to gather and Edward _really_ didn't want to even _try_ and brave that disastrous mess that would come soon. Instead he went down the street to _Ollivander's._ Though Edward's last wand wasn't from _Ollivander's,_ He's heard only positive reviews about the wands that were sold there. A light tinkle from a bell was heard as he went into the shop. The entire place was empty save for the gathering dust and the large walls of boxes behind an old-looking counter. Peering around the old shop, Edward didn't notice the old wand maker until he actually said something.

"Can I help you with something?" Ollivander asked, his thin voice dry.

Edward whipped his head back around to the front. Ollivander was a strange old man with silver eyes and equally silver hair. His eyes sparked with an odd knowledge and he stood very still.

"Er, yes. I need a wand. You see, mine, uh, broke. Accidently stepped on it. Hehe…" Edward replied, his voice fading at the end. Ollivander gave him the creeps. Not as bad as Dumbledore, but that didn't mean he still wasn't creepy as hell.

Ollivander nodded, "I hope that doesn't happen again. The wand chooses the wizard, you know. You need to be more careful. What type of wand did you use last?"

Edward shrugged. It had been so long ago, he didn't even recall the types of cores used in wands! Never the less, he directed Ollivander's measuring tapes to his left arm, the automail not working very well with magic. After doing many precise measurements in very strange places, (how did the length between his nostrils affect what wand he got?) Ollivander slunk into the back of the store, pulling down wand boxes while muttering to himself. Coming back to Edward, Ollivander handed him a wand.

"Blackthorn and phoenix feather. Ten and a half inches. Springy." Ollivander rattled off.

Taking the wand, Edward gave a small flick. In response, the counter burst into flames. The wand was quickly taken from his hands and another wand took its place. Edward glanced up at Ollivander, who didn't seem to worry about his shop being on fire. Dismissing his thoughts about the man, Edward gave the new wand in his hands a wave, completely missing the information about the wand. A lamp exploded in the corner. Edward grimaced.

"Sorry..." He muttered, his voice trailing off into non-existence. Ollivander merely chuckled.

"No worries, no worries."

Edward flew through every wand that Ollivander tried to give him. Boxes flew off shelves, more random fires burst into life, and chairs were knocked onto the floor, often broken. Sometimes, the wand ended up exploding, startling both alchemist and wizard the first time, until it became a bit more common.

It was the apocalypse. In a store.

Yet the more wands Edward went through, the happier and more determined Ollivander seemed. More and more boxes were yanked violently form shelves and the mountain of tried wands grew higher and higher. After the ninth exploding wand, Ollivander turned and gave Edward a long and hard stare, before slipping into the back of the shop without a word.

Edward stood in the destruction, not entirely sure what was going on. Glancing around, he decided to fix the place up after he got a wand. It was the least he could do after all the property damage he caused. Edward continued waiting there for ten minutes, starting to believe Ollivander fled from him in fear for more damage to his carefully crafted wands. As Edward started turning to leave, Ollivander slipped back into the room, a dark and musty wand box held protectively to his chest.

"This is a very special wand. It was one of the first I made by myself as well as one of the best I've made. Since no others seem to like you, maybe this wand will accept. Ash and dragon heartstring. Thirteen inches. Unyielding." Ollivander stated.

Edward took the wand, feeling a rush of power course through his arm, all the way to his center. The souls inside him flickered in surprise, but no alarm. Gripping the wand tightly, he gave a small twitch, watching angry red, gold, and blue sparks come out the tip.

Ollivander nodded, pleased. "Hm, of course it would be that wand…" he muttered. Glancing up at Edward's confused expression, he answered his unanswered question.

"That wand is powerful. When I was young, I often used a bit more core than necessary. The wand you are holding has roughly twice the amount of heartstring compared to a normal wand. On top of that, the wand is incredibly stubborn. In fact, I've never seen it react so positive to someone before. Then again, the wand chooses the wizard. That will be ten Galleons."

Edward pocketed the wand and gave over the money. Glancing over the shop, he clapped his hands and repaired everything, leaving the shop as it was before he even walked in. Not even giving a glance at Ollivander's surprised expression, he left, but not after hearing a quiet, "Have a good day, Mister Elric,"

Edward was halfway to the bookstore before he realized he had never given his name to Ollivander.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward stared at the bookstore. He had thought the crowd would've left by now, but he was wrong. Even more witches were gathered around, talking and gushing about something noisily, so much so, that he had no idea what they were freaking out about. What was so great that made a bunch of middle-aged women stand about and gossip? Edward had no idea.

Pushing his way through the crowded shop, many of the witches sneered angrily at him, calling him rude names and accusing him of "cutting into the line," telling him to "wait his turn," and complaining that he was "really rude." Edward rolled his eyes at all the accusations. He knew the store would be crowded, but not this crowded and definitely not with middle-aged witches. Fighting tooth and nail, Edward finally made it to the front and once there, really wished he didn't.

There, standing before the crowed was self-loving, dumbass, Gilderoy Lockheart. He was shaking hands vigorously with a young looking boy, who had unruly black hair that stuck up everywhere, round eyeglasses that were slowly slipping off his nose, and bright green eyes. Overall the boy seemed confused, embarrassed, and flustered, burning red blossoming onto his cheeks. Meanwhile, Lockheart was rambling on about something. Edward only caught a few words. He _was_ still fighting to get to the _Magical Theory_ bookshelf, after all.

"Ladies and gentlemen…extraordinary moment…sitting on…young Harry…" Lockheart shouted out.

Upon hearing the word 'Harry,' Edward whipped around, six books already in his tight grip. Staring up at the flustered kid, he realized that this was the student he was looking out for. Looking at him, Edward didn't see much. Seemed like a normal kid. Not a 'Boy-who-lived' or whatever shit the newspapers barfed out. Lockheart still rambled on, giving Harry a bunch of free books (signed, of course) and rambling on and on about whatever, including gushing out about his new job at Hogwarts. Edward merely rolled his eyes. Lockheart was so stupid; he couldn't think his way out of a paper bag. Yet, as Edward went to pass the book signing to buy the twelve thick volumes clutched in his arms, he felt someone grab his shoulder and yank him. Upon glancing behind him, he realized it was Lockheart.

"What a pleasant surprise! I was hoping that young Harry here would happen in on the day I was here, but seeing you here as well Edward! Well, it must be my lucky day! Finally ran out of books to read, didn't you?" Lockheart gushed, pulling him into a half-hug. Harry glanced at him, giving him a pitying look that clearly said, "I'm sorry. I know how you feel."

Edward didn't even try to curl his lips into a crude smile. Instead he glared, letting the burning fire in his eyes do all the work. Upon feeling the man's glare and the steady growing of anger and annoyance in the air, Lockheart let go, taking a few steps back and he wasn't the only one. Upon feeling the charged feelings of annoyance and danger, several witches and Harry stepped back from the second blond haired man.

"Gilderoy, I, unlike you, are a very busy man and must tend to things. Please refrain from dragging me into _your _social practices. In fact, it's rude to drag anyone into your social situations." Edward stated, trying to fit as many complicated words into his sentence as possible to trip up the dumbass. Giving a thankful Harry a small push into the crowds, Edward stalked off into the line to purchase books, feeling the surprised stares coming at him from all angles. Luckily, none of the customers said anything to him in fear of the dangerous aura that seemed to surround the red-coated man.

"Ah, of course Edward! I'll be seeing you at Hogwarts!" Lockheart replied merrily before slipping back into adoring and doting fans.

Edward didn't even grunt in acknowledgment, contented to simply keep the dangerous aura around him and not be bothered by other customers. He didn't even notice Harry's grateful and curious glance.

After checking the books out, he once again fought to get out of the crowd of crazy witches that stood around. He was surprised to stumble onto an actual fight between a red-headed man and a silvery-blond haired man. Despite the fact that a bookcase had fell onto them, the two men were fighting viciously. Edward couldn't tell who was winning. Nearby, an assistant was calling out to try and break out the fight while other people around scrambled to get a glance. Edward could distinctly hear the cat-calls of two red-headed twins. Fighting his way through the crowd, he yanked off the angry red-head. Tossing the man to the ground, Edward lifted the bookshelf off the second man. Checking both men, he noticed that no real damage was done. Just a couple of bruises and really flushed faces of rage. Glaring at both men, Edward yelled, his patience finally run out.

"All I try to do is come to a bookstore to buy some books. Why do I have to break-up a dumbass fight that was probably over NOTHING important! The clerks here have enough to do with middle-aged witch heart-throb over there!" Edward pointed to an oblivious Lockheart behind him. "On top of that, you two had to get in a bloody fight! In this close of quarters you could've hit some poor child! Ever think of that? If you're going to fight, at least do it when a child's not in danger! Now, both of you, pick up all the books on the floor and resort them into that bookshelf. _Now!_" Edward finished, gasping hard and giving both men the most burning and raging glare he could muster. The entire crowd around him had gone silent, gaping at Edward in a mix of terror and amazement. The red-headed man dipped his head in both shame and fear, bending down to grab a couple of books from the ground. Meanwhile, the silver-haired man opened his mouth to retort, his eyes not quite meeting the molten gold eyes of the angry blond before him.

"No! No words! I don't give a rat's ass of what you have to say. Clean up this mess now!" Edward snarled, doing his best to copy Mustang's angry and bossy tone. It seemed to work as the silver-haired man bent to help. Turning up his nose at the rest of the wizard's amazed and terrified stares, he marched out. Right now, all Edward needed was wonderful, normal London.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward stared down at the newly polished silver watch. He had already fixed the dents in it and now it was nice and shiny, almost brand new. Giving the watch a small smile, Edward remembered all the things the watch represented. It chained him to the military and his guilt. It was a symbol of his promise to Al. That promise was fulfilled and Edward truly felt _wonderful_ about that. Though he has never seen his brother since he had gotten his body back, Edward could still remember what it looked like inside the gate. Clenching his eyes tightly, Edward pulled up the memory of Al in the gate, a young boy that was only skin and bones. Edward mentally added meat to the bones, short hair, and a soulful glow to the faded golden eyes. That was his brother.

Staring down at the watch again, Edward thought about what the watch now represented. It was his only physical reminder of his home that wasn't attached to him. Flipping the cover, Edward gave a sad smile to the modified words that were carved on the inside of the watch

_Never Forget _

_3.10_

_1350_

**A/N:**

**Yay, an actually important chapter! And its longer! **

**I couldn't help myself. The image of Edward getting pissed off at Lockheart and taking it out on Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy in the bookstore was too tempting to pass up. It was sooo much fun to write!**

**I noticed, in most HP/FMA crossovers, Ed always gets some super-special state-of-the-art, swiss army wand. At Ollivander's. Who only has 3 different types of cores. Now, I get it, creative ****license, but for whatever reason it bothers me. So instead I used a "normal" core, yet still tried to make it "special."**

**Guest- I'll go back and fix the Nickolas/Nicholas mistakes later. which will probably be after the story in complete. As for the summery, I looked over it and I see how it can be misread as that. I went ahead and fixed it. Thanks for pointing that out!**

**Meladi1- 666 is the number of Satan is Christianity. Since I don't know who's going to read this fanfic, some people might get offended. Personally, it doesn't bother me, but I know people IRL it would bother, so I'm going to go ahead and assume that some people here might get bothered by it and change it.**

**As always, thanks for reading and, of course, review!**


	4. The First Class is always the Scariest

**Disclaimer: As always, I neither own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_A slight sucking noise was heard when a dagger was pulled out of Edward. Edward glared up at his attacker. He had been just passing through one of the many feudalistic homes when one of the workers there attacked him, noticing his expensive clothes and different features from people of higher class. The worker grinned down at him, believing the rich-looking man must have money that he could use to get a better life. He wasn't expecting for the man to glare up at him and scowl. Or for said man to stand up once again. Or even tower above the mugger in anger, red lightning flashing over the wound, sealing it up. _

_The man stared up in awe and fear. Scrambling to get away from what must be a demon of some sort, the mugger fell down onto his bottom, knowing that certain death awaited him._

_Edward glared down at the man. He had felt one of his souls disappear. Gone forever. Over some dagger by a mugger. _

_Turning away, Edward merely said, "You better hope that I never see you again." _

_The mugger suddenly found his feet, and he was running for his life. He couldn't get away fast enough. That man…he couldn't be human! Humans can't self-heal! They can't come back from the dead either! The more the mugger thought about it, the more he was convinced that that man had been a demon of some sorts. It had to be! There was no other option!_

_Edward watched the mugger run with a strange mixture of sorrow, anger, regret, and worry. Another soul has left him. Someone saved his life again._

_Somebody died this night._

_Yet, at the same time, he pondered the man. The mugger had to be living in poor conditions for him to try and kill someone for a little money. Edward knew the feudalistic style of life was hard on some, but killing a man just to get out? Well, in Edward's eyes, nothing justified killing. Absolutely nothing._

_Stretching out his back with a silent 'pop,' Edward turned and left. Best to get out of the countryside. It was best to aim for some sort of village or something. In towns, people were a bit better off and normally had the sense to not attack rich-looking people. Heh, rich. Though Edward looked rich, in reality he was pretty much broke. He transmuted his clothes and he transmuted grass into bread when hungry. Right now, Edward was simply wandering around Europe, trying to get a sense of things. He had no goal in mind._

_Well, now he had a short term goal._

_~~0~~0~~0~~_

_Edward curled up under the tree. His massive self-graveyard was to the right of him and it now held seventy-five dead._

_The soul who died had been a young boy called Thomas. He had grown up fairly wealthy, having lived in and by the church his entire nine years of life. He had a loving mother and a work-a-holic father. Though Thomas didn't have many friends, he did get a small education trying to learn how to read the bible. Everything was going well until his father contracted the Black Death and died. Then, his mother caught the disease and died. Then, finally, he fell ill as well. Thomas believed he was on his way to God._

_Then Nicholas Flamel struck._

_Then Thomas was somewhere very dark. His senses were dull and dead. He couldn't see, he couldn't smell anything. There was no air to taste and he couldn't feel anything around him. Did he miscalculate? This-this couldn't be heaven. No. This place, all the screams of horror and fear around him…this had to be Hell! Thomas felt terror fill him and drag him down. He let out his own screams. Wordless screeches that only told of the raging emotions he was feeling._

_After that, Edward had connected with Thomas. Though Thomas had independent thoughts, Edward knew them all. Thomas had shared his life story. His hopes and dreams. Everything. Edward felt tears bunch up under his eyes, but he didn't cry. He couldn't break down every time someone inside him died. He would let himself feel grief and sorrow, and then he would move on. He had to keep moving. Keep learning. Keep helping others. That was the only way to stop him from slipping into a sea of madness and regret. _

_Standing up, Edward gave a small look to his personal graveyard, and then he turned, and walked away, feeling the strangest sense of nostalgia. _

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward let out a large yawn as he watched the first years slink nervously into the room. Though he hadn't sat through a Hogwarts sorting in a very long time, he still remembered how boring it was. Zoning out as the hat sung its rhyme; he went back to doodling transmutation circles on a scrap of paper. Glancing over about half-way through the ceremony, he noticed a number of teachers giving him irritated glares out of the corners of their eyes. _They must consider me not paying attention rude. _Edward mused. Deciding that he didn't really care about the impression he gave the staff, Edward continued doodling, zoning out from the sorting once again.

Meanwhile, at the Gryffindor table, Hermione Granger was looking around feverishly. She hadn't seen Harry or Ron on the train and it really worried her. She decided that if she still couldn't find them after the feast, she would alert McGonagall. Though, she wondered, how did they miss the train? By the looks of it, Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let them miss the train so why aren't they here?

Edward let out a grateful sigh as the sorting wrapped up to a close. Finally, he will be able to eat! As soon as the last student was seated at the Ravenclaw table, Dumbles cheered some nonsense, and the food arrived. Edward dived right on in, piling his plate with steak and potatoes and all other sorts of wonderful things. He even found a bowl of stew. Setting the food down before him, he inhaled everything on the plate, unnoticing of Poppy's disgusted look, Severus's absence, or even McGonagall's and Dumbledore's disappearance half-way through the feast.

As soon as Dumbledore and Snape returned, the feast ended, all bellies completely filled. Dumbledore stood at the head of the tables and made his announcements.

"Before we leave to our warm and cozy beds, I would like to remind you the Forbidden Forest is exactly that, forbidden and that magic between classes in the corridors is not allowed. I would also like to introduce two new members of the staff. Teaching Defense against the Dark Arts is none other than Gilderoy Lockheart-"

As soon as Gilderoy Lockheart's name was spoken, all eyes went to the man. Said man stood up with a flourish of his robes and gave out a dazzling white smile, making almost all the girls swoon in their seats. Dumbledore paused and smiled warmly at the ditzy blonde's antics. Lockheart gave a little wave before sitting down once again.

"I would also like to introduce a new class being offered this year for all years! It is called Alchemy, and it has returned after fifty long years. Teaching Alchemy is none other than Edward Elric." Dumbledore continued, gesturing to the second blond.

Unlike Lockheart, Edward barley gave a glance to the students. In fact, the only gesture he gave the student body was a halfhearted salute before he went back to doodling transmutation circles, like he was doing before the feast.

Though most female students had their eyes glued to Lockheart, one Hermione Granger and the male populace was looking up at the Alchemy professor. Whispers about his strangeness broke across the hall, many students noticing he wasn't wearing robes, but a long flamboyant red coat with black pants and shirt underneath. Not only that, but his hair was braided. The Alchemy professor didn't seem to notice the slight awkward silence he was creating; he was too focused on his little scrap paper.

Clearing out his throat, Dumbledore dismissed the students to their beds. Hermione Granger stood up, along with the Weasley twins and a newly sorted Ginny. As they walked to the common room, they discussed the recognized Alchemy professor.

"Hey, isn't that the bloke-

Who broke up dad's and-

Malfoy's fight at-

The bookstore?" the twins finished together with identical grins plastered over their faces.

"Yeah it is! He seems a bit…I don't know, irresponsible? He did create even more of a scene with his yelling and he was completely disrespectful at the feast! He also seems way too young. He can't be any older than twenty…" Hermione trailed off, looking slightly flustered. Ginny, meanwhile, was nodding her head in agreement, her attention mainly on what was going on around her, with a mixture of awe, joy, and sleepiness on her face.

Hermione simply groaned. Ah well, even though the professor seemed completely rude, she was, no doubt, going to try out the class. After the Sorcerer's Stone fiasco last year, how could she not?

~~0~~0~~0~~

Harry let out a face-consuming yawn as he slipped into his seat at the Gryffindor table along with Ron. Hermione was already there. A book was propped up, yet instead of reading, she was staring intently at the head table, so focused she didn't notice the two boys.

Harry and Ron piled some food onto their plates. Giving Hermione a brief "Morning," Ron dived into his food, causing some of the girls to give him some disgusted glances. Before Harry dived into his own food, however, he looked at Hermione, surprised. She hadn't told Ron to watch his manners which had to mean she was _really_ focused on something. Looking up at the head table, he didn't notice anything different.

"Um, Hermione. What are you staring at?" Harry asked. Noticing how she still ignored him, Harry leaned over and gave her shoulder a light tap, causing her to jump.

"Huh? Oh, hello Harry." She said. Though she was distracted, she still had disappointment leaking into her tone, telling Harry she was annoyed about the way he got to Hogwarts.

"Well? What are you staring at?" Harry continued.

Hermione gave him an incredulous look, as if he was supposed to know. "There's an empty chair." She pointed out.

Harry glanced up. Sure enough, at the end of the right-hand side of the table, there was an empty chair.

"So? What's so important about an empty chair?" Harry asked.

Hermione then turned away with a slight huff, a small scowl on her face. Hermione turned back and continued to read her book and calmly eat her breakfast. Harry groaned and started eating his food. If it was important, Hermione would've told him.

Harry watched as McGonagall passed out schedules. Taking his, Harry glanced over his classes. Everything was normal, except the class labeled _Alchemy_ which was just after lunch and would hold a random mix of all four houses. Before he could ask, however, Ron beat him to the punch.

"What's Alchemy?" He asked out loud to no one.

If you had been here last night, Ron." Hermione started, her voice dripping with disappointment. "You would've heard about the new class. Luckily for you two." She gave Harry a sharp look. "I signed all three of us up already."

"Alchemy? Like Nicholas Flamel and the stone-thing that happened last year alchemy?" Ron asked.

Hermione simply shrugged. "To be honest, there are absolutely no books dedicated to the subject, really. I think so, but it could be possible that alchemy has different branches, like magic."

"But isn't alchemy a branch of magic? How can a branch have a branch?" Ron continued, looking quite confused.

Hermione looked annoyed. "You'll get your answer after lunch when we have alchemy." She stated, doing her best to avoid saying the cursed words of _I don't know._

Harry stared down in thought for half a second until thousands of owls flew in.

"Look, mails here."

~~0~~0~~0~~

As soon as the golden trio happened across the alchemy classroom, their talking immediately died down, like the students already seated in the class. Hermione stared is surprise and awe while Harry and Ron's mouths fell open.

The alchemy professor didn't notice them, too busy with the complex math problem that stretched the length of the massive chalkboard. There were numbers and equations and strange circles with runes decorated them were sewn out for everyone to see. In its own way, it was pure art.

The golden trio took a few steps in. Glancing at the other students, Harry noticed fear, awe, and excitement on others faces. Taking a seat at the back along with everyone else, Ron collapsed into the desk next to his, looking a bit sick. Meanwhile, Hermione was the only student to brave the front.

As soon as class started, the _click clack_ of the chalk faded away. Taking a step back, the professor gave his work and look over. Seeing everything in place, he whipped around to face the students, a slightly malicious smile etched onto his face. Harry immediately recognized him from the bookstore. He was the man who helped him get away from Lockheart.

"Welcome to Alchemy." He stated, an odd mixture of boredom and laughter mixed into his voice, which didn't match the smile on his face. "Or, as students will eventually say, welcome to hell." His smile became a twisted grin on his face that sent shivers down the spine of every child in the room.

Every student was thinking the exact same thing,_ Hell?! What IS alchemy about anyways?!_

Harry watched as the young professor walked out from behind his desk and sat on it, curling his legs underneath it from the front and gave the students a mischievous look. Harry was finally able to get a good look at him.

Harry didn't know whether to call his clothes really strange wizard's robes, or really, really strange muggle clothes. He had on black leather pants with a thick brown belt and a black overcoat over some sort of black shirt. He had a pair of black and red combat boots and finishing off the look was a flashy red coat. His hair was a strange yellow color. It was practically golden and was long and braided back, yet he was able to pull off the look without looking like a girl. Yet the most startling thing about the professor was his eyes. Matching his hair perfectly, twin pools of molten gold stared back. Harry found his eyes impossible to meet. Overall, a very strange and possibly mad professor.

Like Harry was before, the entire class knew how to categorize the new teacher; completely and utterly mad, but horrifyingly scary.

"Now, who can tell me what alchemy is?" He asked, hopping off the desk. He couldn't seem to sit still for long.

As expected, Hermione's had shot up, surprising no one but the professor.

"Yes, er…"

"Hermione Granger."

"Well, Miss granger?"

"Alchemy is based upon the creation of the Sorcerer's Stone, which grants eternal life and turns metals into gold." She recited, a pleased gleam in her eyes.

The professor looked taken aback for a second and the students silently cheered. Of course Hermione knew the answer; she was the brightest witch of their age. Well, that is, until the professor doubled over, laughing hysterically, causing everyone to jump.

When he finally calmed down and caught his breath, he replied. "Nope! Completely wrong! Really, what have you been taught about alchemy? For one, it's a _science_, so no wands out." He said, turning completely serious near the end. Students groaned as they put up their wands. Meanwhile, Hermione looked like Christmas was cancelled. She had become completely frozen in her seat.

"Alchemy follows two main laws and follows in the steps of understanding, deconstruction, and reconstruction." He stated. "Let me show you a basic example."

Edward walked over to the board he had been writing on. The equations for mixing faster than light travel with random transmutation circles was splayed out for everyone to see. Going to the far right side of the board, he pointed to a very basic array.

"This is a transmutation circle. It guides alchemic reactions. Using a transmutation circle, I can turn all this used chalk back into a stick."

Pressing his hands against the array, blue lightning sparked underneath his fingers, and then spread over the chalk board. Students watched in complete and total awe as the used chalk was disappearing from the board. When the light finally died, Edward held up a factory new piece of chalk in his hands, the only thing left on the board being the transmutation circle.

"That is what alchemy is. An alchemist draws an array to guide alchemic energy and mold matter into what they want." He continued. "But before I can teach any of you anything, you must answer this riddle."

On the board Edward wrote, 'One is all, all is one.' With the newly transmuted chalk.

"Figure out what this means in…let's say…three weeks."

As soon as he put the chalk down, there were some cries of outrage. Such as "This isn't an English class!," the ever present, "What is that supposed to mean," and, Edward's favorite, "are you mad?"

Edward growled. Turning around, he let his automail fingers scrape against the chalkboard in a horrifying screech, causing all the students to cower down in pain, clutching their poor ears.

"Quiet! You're lucky that my original methods were deemed 'Physical abuse' by your ministry! Originally, you were all going to be taught like I was; thrown onto a deserted island for a month with no magic and only a knife! So stop whining. I've given you plenty of time. But, if you don't figure it out in three weeks, you will automatically be kicked out of the class. Use the rest of the time in class to figure it out." Edward snarled, slight humor tinting the end of his rant. He had forgotten how much fun it was torturing students.

All the students went pale when they learned how he was taught. Deserted island? Knife? _Physical Abuse?!_ They stared at him in awe and fear. This guy was almost as scary as Snape, if not more!

Hermione got over her initial fear of the professor quickly. If he was a danger to the students, Dumbledore wouldn't have hired him.

"Professor?" She asked, raising her hand politely.

"huh? What is it, Miss Granger? Have an answer already?" He asked

"No, I want to ask you your age. You look very young to be a teacher…" Hermione trailed off. Despite her courage, she couldn't meet the professor's golden stare either.

The rest of the students leaned back, gaping openly at Hermione as if she was off her rocker. Or wanted a death wish. The professor gave her a long, hard stare before giving her a ghost of an actual, true smile.

"I'm twenty-three, Miss Granger." He answered. He looked heavily amused, like Hermione just told him a joke. Just like that, all the tension in the room melted away.

"I would suggest getting started on cracking the riddle."

Hermione got up and joined Harry and Ron at the back. Both of them looked completely winded at what happened.

"This-this guy is mad!" Ron babbled, eyes widened in fear.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's antics. "He must be a genius. There are absolutely no books on the subject of Alchemy, yet he obviously knows what he's doing." She replied, having gained a new shard of respect for the mysterious Professor Elric.

"Why is he wearing gloves inside? It's not cold out or anything…" Harry mused, giving the strange professor a glance out of the corner of his eye. Professor Elric was sitting at his desk calmly writing on a piece of paper. With a pen. Pen and paper at Hogwarts. It was lunacy.

Hermione simply shrugged. "Why isn't he wearing robes and why are his eyes golden? Who knows." She replied before cracking open a Gilderoy Lockheart book to read. She would go to the library later to figure out the riddle. It didn't seem too hard to figure out.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron listened to a conversation happening between some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

"His accent sounds german to me…" One hufflepuff mused.

"Are you stupid? It's Russian, obviously!" A Ravenclaw replied.

"I swear I could her some Japanese dialect in there!" Another Ravenclaw replied.

Harry and Ron continued to listen to the argument about the very slight accent Professor Elric had. Finally, class was dismissed.

"Don't forget about the riddle! It's important!" The professor called out to them.

_Sure it is. _Harry thought.

One is all, all is one?

Six words?

Should be easy.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Sorry this chapter is shorter than the last one. **

**The classroom scene was fun to write, but I had so much writers block!**

**It might be a day or two till the next chapter is posted, I'm afraid.**

**Thanks for reading and leave a review!**


	5. One is All, All is One

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own HP or FMA and I most likely never will.**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward stared down at the rock bowl in apprehension. He knew that he had to do this. People would get suspicious of how he never ages or changes and he could no longer just adventure around. The Dark Ages were drawing to a close and people were once again building up true civilizations. People were already starting to break away from the church and Edward could sense in the air a new dawn of human exploration and intelligence._

_It would be both beautiful and dangerous._

_He could no longer go by his actual name. It's gotten to the point where he was around fifty years old but only looked twenty-three. He knew this day would come, but he didn't think it would come by this soon._

_Dipping his hair down, he darkened his long golden locks to an ugly muddy brown color. Pulling his hair into a low ponytail, he let in hang behind his back. He couldn't bring himself to cut his long hair, so he just changed the style in which it was worn. Looking at the dirty mirror, he saw his own sharp golden eyes glaring back at him. Edward let out a sigh; he could change his hair color, but not his eyes. What a shame. He better be very careful._

_Walking out of his transmuted house, he took a glance at the eighty three graves that lay in the clearing. Though this place wasn't the happiest of places, Edward always found himself coming back. It was a bit morbid, but Edward decided to make his home here by using the rock in the ground and the towering trees to make a small cottage. The cottage was next to the small river, a water wheel already built. He was just waiting for the industrial revolution that would eventually take this country. The actual cottage inside had a single bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and a den in the very center that connected all the rooms. Overall it was very homey, clean, and depressing._

_Turning around from his house, Edward made his way into the nearest town. He better figure out a new name soon._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Harry and Ron peeked timidly from behind the bookshelf, staring at the angry Hermione sitting at one of the library's tables. She had a large stack of books next to her and she was flipping pages madly in a large, dusty looking tome. Getting to the end, she let out a silent hiss and slammed the book down next to her before picking up another equally large tome. Her expression was of complete madness and anger.

"You go ahead and tell her." Ron mumbled fearfully, giving Harry a small push.

"No, you. I value my life!" Harry cried out.

"So do I!" Ron replied.

Both boys gave a terrified look to Hermione. It had only been four days and Hermione couldn't figure out the riddle, 'One is all, all is one.' Everyone thought that Hermione would be the first to figure it out, but it wasn't. Much to everyone's surprise and Elric's joy, it had been Neville Longbottom. Neville! Of all people! And, it only took Neville three days!

"Now, why are both of you worrying about the values of your lives?" A familiar voice asked behind the two Gryffindors.

Both Harry and Ron gave a small gasp of surprise before whipping around to face Professor Elric. Elric had a large dusty tome from the restricted section clutched tightly in his hand. Harry noticed he was still wearing gloves, despite the heat in the library. Meanwhile, Ron noticed that the teacher wasn't as tall as he originally thought. In fact, Elric didn't even reach six feet.

"Um…er, it's Hermione, Professor. She hasn't been able to crack the riddle." Harry said.

"And one of us has to tell her that, well, um, Neville cracked it before her…" Ron finished in a mutter.

Edward cocked his eyebrow. What was so bad about Neville being the first to figure out the riddle? Sure, he's heard that Neville wasn't all that bright from Snape but hearing what Sprout says about that boy, it's obvious that he had a passion for plants, like Edward himself had a passion for alchemy. Not only that, but Neville was incredibly kind. It almost reminded Edward about Al. Almost.

Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Edward chanted to himself, stopping the flow of memories before they started.

Edward shrugged at the two boys. "That's the thing about alchemy. For some, it comes naturally and for others, it doesn't. If Miss Granger is having issues it simply means that she will never get it. This riddle is what alchemy is based upon. If you don't understand it, you will never understand alchemy." With that being said, Edward stepped around the boys and left the library. He needed some light reading before he tackled his next class which would, unfortunately, house the Weasley twins.

Harry and Ron watched him leave. That symbol on the back of his jacket…it's familiar. Harry thought. Yes, he has seen that symbol before! But from where? Harry was shaken out of his thoughts when he was suddenly shoved forward; bumping into the desk Hermione was sitting at roughly. Harry gulped as he looked down at her. Hesitantly, he tapped her on the shoulder, mentally preparing himself for a hurricane of anger and books.

Hermione fixed him with a raging glare. "I'm busy. What?" She snarled. Harry found her glare nearly impossible to meet.

Looking at the ground, he started, "Hermione, it's time to go to dinner. Um, also, er, someone's figured out the, uh, riddle." Harry ended in a whisper, wincing slightly.

Unsurprisingly, Hermione locked him in a heated glare which seemed to last forever. Finally, she got up. Grabbing all the books she checked out and stuffing them into her bag, she stormed past Harry and left for the Great Hall.

Turning around, Harry fixed Ron with a glare, and then followed Hermione to the Great Hall. Hopefully he could find Neville before Hermione does and warn him.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward smiled as he doodled some transmutation circles while planning some lessons. A half-eaten tray of lunch sat next to him, the only sound in the room being the scratching of the pen against paper.

Three days. Sure, Neville might be older than he was and not struggling to survive on a deserted island, but still. Three days was record time. Edward sat back as he thought back to the story on how Neville found the answer.

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward grumbled as he wrote down ideas for the first test he could give his students. Planning lessons was probably one of the most boring things ever invented, right behind paperwork and sports. Edward dropped his pen, rubbing the stiffness out of his left wrist with his automail right hand. He took a second to admire the hand. Besides some length tweaking he did years ago, the arm hasn't ever broken down. Edward let his thoughts run over Winry; she had always made the best automail. A quiet, timid knocking shook Edward from the dangerous waters of his thoughts._

_"Come in." He said, bored. He suspected it was that Granger girl. Maybe she figured out the riddle. That girl did seem rather proud about her intelligence…_

_Instead, much to his surprise, a young, slightly chubby boy walked in. Noticing the nervousness written on his face, Edward tried to relax and smooth out his features. The boy seemed like a kicked puppy and there was a certain softness and shyness to him that made Edward, for once, not try and completely terrify the boy._

_The boy stood before his desk, staring at the ground. He didn't speak. Edward waited patiently for him to say something, but after five minutes, Edward was tired of waiting._

_"Did you figure out the riddle?" He asked, remembering him vaguely from the class that held Harry Potter and the crazy Granger girl._

_Noticing the softer tone in his voice, the boy glanced up. Seeing how his golden eyes were looking at him curiously, with slight hope and excitement made the boy slightly braver. Meeting the golden eyes with his nervous brown ones, he gave a small nod, a light smile on his face._

_Edward immediately gave the boy his full attention, not being able to hide his surprise and excitement. This young boy was the first to come and try to crack the riddle! Hopefully, the answer would be correct._

_"W-Well, um, P-Professor Elric, I think..." The young boy shook his head. Looking at Edward again, he stated, with mush more determination, "No, I know the answer. It's like…Um, well; life only flows in one direction. We are born and when we die, we become food for the plants. The plants are food for other animals and those animals are food for other animals. It's like…a giant circle. A circle of life!" he explained, his voice becoming strong at the end of his answer._

_Edward stared at the young boy for a long time. Despite the long and hard stare, the boy stared back, pure nerve and courage in his eyes. Finally, Edward gave him a huge and pure grin. Chuckling a bit, he congratulated the boy._

_"yes! That's, that's correct!" This was a record. Even fifty years ago, it took his brightest student, at the time, at least a week to figure it out. Three days! Only three days for this young boy! Curious, Edward asked the million dollar question. "How did you figure it out?"_

_The boy beamed back. Before he had though Professor Elric to be scarier than Professor Snape, but he wasn't. This Professor in front of him, praising him and smiling wasn't scary at all!_

_"Well," The boy started, a large grin plastered onto his face. "I was in Herbology. We were studying mandrakes and how their cry could be, um, fatal and I couldn't help but think what would happen if someone died from their cry. I realized that besides family and friends being sad, the actual body would feed plants once buried. Those plants would get eaten and, uh, so on. The answer just kinda hit me. One is all, as in one dead, um, person can feed others, but without the others, nothing could be gained from someone's death. It just, I don't know…made sense? It was like, once I realized it, it couldn't have been anything else." The boy finished, looking shy and nervous once again._

_Edward nodded, staring at the young boy in front of him. Yes, he could tell this boy will be excellent at alchemy. He had the right mindset. He was also not the type of person to abuse alchemy. This boy…was like Al, in a way. Edward could tell from the softness of his eyes that this boy in front of him could never harm anyone, he was too kind._

_"What's your name?" Edward asked, realizing that he never asked._

_"Neville Longbottom, sir." He replied. He was back at staring at his feet._

_Edward held out his hand. Glancing up at him, Neville quickly realized he wanted to shake hands. Grasping his left hand, Edward shook his hand._

_"Nice to properly meet you, Neville. As you most likely already know, I'm Edward Elric."_

_Neville stared at him with wide eyes, not sure what the professor was up to._

_"How 'bout we make a deal. No, a trade. Equivalent Exchange, you know? I'll call you Neville, and you can call me Edward. Or Ed. But only if there aren't any other professors or students around. Deal?"_

_Neville looked at him as if he was mad, but nodded looking proud._

_"Oh, I almost forgot." Edward mused. Whipping out his wand, Edward lightly tapped Neville on the head. Small blue sparks fell over Neville, surprising the boy._

_"It's a charm I invented myself. You can't talk about the answer to the riddle. At all. You don't seem to be the type of person to go around and blab but just in case someone tries to torture or force the information out of you…" Edward trailed off. Neville looked at him with slight fear in his eyes. Edward glanced at the clock. "You better start heading back to your common room. You probably don't want a detention."_

_Neville thanked him graciously and left, a proud and pure smile overtaking his face. Feeling warm inside, Edward went back to his papers, feeling a seed of hope planted in him for this generation of wizards._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Neville was sitting at the Gryffindor table, pride written all over his face. Surrounding him was a rather large group of other students that also took alchemy. As Hermione walked in, she took one glance at the large crowd before racing over there. She somehow pushed her way through and was able to steal someone's seat next to the poor, shy boy.

Once Harry's and Ron's eyes locked onto the large crowd, they raced over, wanting to save Neville's life from an angry Hermione. Fighting their way through the crowd, both boys were able to bully their way into two seats across from Neville. Meanwhile, Hermione, like everyone before her, was pelting Neville with questions about the riddle.

"Neville, how did you figure it out? You haven't been at the library or anything! How did you find the answer? You couldn't have just figured it out!"

At Hermione's last statement, Neville turned strangely defensive, an indignant look crossing his face. "Why couldn't I have figured it out? I'm not stupid!" Neville cried out in anger, looking hurt. Guilt automatically took over Hermione's features.

"I'm sorry Neville! That's…that's not…Oh I'm sorry." She said, the hurt on Neville's face shaking her from her cloud of frustrated anger and jealousy.

Neville let out a winded sigh and looked at Hermione and all the other questioning alchemy students. "I'm sorry guys. Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn't. Professor Elric put a charm on me so I couldn't speak the answer."

"Couldn't we just break the charm…?" A curious seventh year asked him. Neville shook his head.

"He made it himself, apparently. Something tells me that it's not going to be breakable by any students here." He replied.

Upon hearing the answer, the crowd of students left, some going back to their proper house tables. Hermione, Harry, and Ron stayed, however.

"Can't you give us a hint, though?" Ron pleaded, a hopeful look crossing his eyes.

Neville looked a bit unsure. Finally, he caved in and said, "Don't overthink it. And. Um, well once you figure it out, you realize that it couldn't have been anything else and it just…I don't know. Makes sense?"

Hermione looked thoughtful while Harry groaned. In a way, Neville's hint made the answer even harder to figure out.

"That's not helpful at all!" Ron cried before platters of food appeared on the table. Seeing the delicious steamy potatoes and steak caused the stress on Ron's face to disappear as he piled his plate and buried his sorrows in the meal.

Neville laughed nervously as he put some food onto his own plate. Glancing around, Neville gave a gasp of surprise as he looked up at the head table. Sitting and talking avidly to Snape was none other than Professor Elric.

Hermione noticed his presence too. So far, Elric didn't appear at any of the meals. This was certainly a first. Elric had a slight smile on his face and was gesturing with his hands, though it didn't make much sense.

Hermione and Neville weren't the only ones to notice Elric's first ever social appearance. Several other students from other house tables took note and whispering about the strange and rumored mad professor broke across the hall. Some theories said he had an accident while trying to become an Animagus, which explains the golden eyes and matching golden hair. Some say he's an escaped prisoner that the ministry's trying to cover up and that Elric disguised himself with golden eyes and hair so that no one will find him. Another theory came from young muggle-borns; Professor Elric was actually an alien from another planet. The most common thought, however, was that his eyes and hair were charmed to be golden simply because it looked cool. Other theories pointed to the outlandish clothing he wore, theories such as him being an alien, an escaped prisoner, and just thinking the style was cool were still popular.

While the golden trio plus Neville looked up at the head table like many of the other students, Fred and George waltzed in with matching grins on their faces. Both of them took a seat next to Neville.

"So Neville, I heard you cracked the riddle." George stated.

"Care to enlighten us?" Fred finished.

Neville groaned. How many times would he have to tell people that he couldn't give them an answer?

~~0~~0~~0~~

The golden trio walked into Alchemy class Friday looking dejected. Hermione had deep bags under her eyes. She had stayed up a large portion of the night trying to crack the riddle and she still couldn't understand it! Six words! 'One is all, all is one!' She was frustrated and tired. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were the unwilling ones that took the brunt of Hermione's frustration. Harry and Ron glanced at each other as they took a seat far away from the front where Hermione and, surprisingly, Neville, had taken residence.

Elric placed his book down and stood up from his desk. Looking around the class with his unnerving gold gaze, his eyes locked onto Neville's. Neville gave him a smile. Though only Neville noticed it, the professor gave him a twitch of the lips that indicated a grin. His gaze flickered over to Hermione.

They called him mad? They should give Granger a glance. Edward thought.

Giving a stern glare across the room, he asked, "Has anyone cracked the riddle yet? Well, besides Neville?"

Neville flushed while Hermione looked even angrier. The rest of the class gave nervous, clueless looks at one another. Edward sighed.

Turning around, he rewrote the riddle on the board. "Use your class time to figure out this riddle."

The class once again broke up in house dictated groups. Edward watched suspiciously on how the houses acted around each other. He noted how the Gryffindor and Slytherin houses refused to even glance at one another and how Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw houses would, once in a while, give each other condescending looks. This-this isn't working. They are only looking at the words and guessing. There isn't any actual thinking going on. Edward thought.

That's when a wonderful and slightly evil idea entered Edward's mind. One that might help students understand a bit more (they weren't geniuses like him) and maybe show how different houses can work together.

Standing in front of his desk, he banged his flesh fist against the wood to grab the student's attention.

"I can see that leaving you to your own devices isn't working. None of you are thinking creatively. So, I'll give you some very minor help. Everyone, follow me." Edward stated.

The students got up and followed him through the halls, out the doors, to the grounds. Finally, they were staring at the great tree line of the Forbidden Forest.

"Professor! We can't go in there! It's against the rules." One brave Ravenclaw cried. Many students started to nod and cry out their own agreements until a swift, loud kick to a tree shut them all up. Edward stared out around at the students, pleased that none of them save for a knowing Neville and a determined Hermione could look him in the eyes.

"We aren't going that deep and besides, I'm pretty sure I can keep you all safe. Don't wander off. If I catch you it's a week's detention!" Edward threatened. All the students paled and nodded.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Once they found a suitable area that would house the thirty-odd kids, Edward partnered them up into pairs. Gryffindors with Slytherins and Ravenclaws with Hufflepuffs. Every student gave him glares as he partnered them up. The only person to not have a partner was Neville and that was because he had figured it out.

"You can only talk to your partner. If I catch you trying to talk with someone other than your partner, you will get a detention. Start."

Edward waited. No one was talking. In fact, everyone was either glaring at the ground or giving their friends awkward looks. Getting impatient, Edward swung his left automail leg out and kicked a tree, causing all the birds inside to screech in alarm, making students jump.

After the warning, careful and awkward conversations started to take shape and float around the clearing. Smiling, Edward sat down and leaned against the kicked tree. Patting the ground next to him to call Neville over, he started a conversation about the very basics of alchemy. It wasn't Neville's fault that everyone else couldn't get it.

Meanwhile, a young Harry Potter sat across from Theodore Nott. Neither of them had started talking, both too busy staring at a dead beetle being carried by some ants.

"I didn't know ants ate beetles." Nott stated, slightly uncomfortable with the quietness.

Harry nodded in response. "Yeah, I think ants will eat anything they can carry." Nott frowned.

"But how do they carry things so much bigger than themselves?" He asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know how, but I remember reading somewhere that ants can lift things ten times their weight or something."

Nott nodded in response, looking thoughtful. "Poor beetle. Getting eaten by ants. Glad that won't happen to me."

Harry frowned. "Well…" He started. "Once people die, we're buried in the ground and we end up rotting away or something."

Nott looked thoughtful. "Yeah. Didn't Sprout say that rot in soil helps plants grow or something?"

"Yeah, she did. And plants help feed other animals." Harry replied.

"And animals feed other animals." Nott said in return. Finally, both boys took their eyes of the beetle and looked at each other in though.

"and finally, those animals die and they become rot in the soil for plants again." Harry finished.

"Isn't like that a circle? Wait, didn't Elric say that those special circles are what let people do alchemy?" Nott wondered, his eyes getting excited.

"I think so! Wait! One is all, all is one. Maybe…that's the answer!" Harry cried out in excitement.

"Huh? One is all, all is one?" Nott replied in confusion.

Harry didn't reply right away, his brain was putting all the pieces together. One is all, all is one…Finally it hit him. He knew the answer!

"I know the answer! I know what 'One is all, all is one' means!" Harry whispered. He didn't want any other groups to overhear him. Nott perked up in excitement.

"Without the world, plants and animals would have nowhere to live…" Harry started

"But without plants and animals, the world would be barren. It would be nothing…empty." Nott finished.

"I am the world and the world is me!" Both boys whispered to themselves in excitement. Jumping up, they weaved through frustrated groups to get to Elric, who was leaning against a tree having a conversation with Neville.

"Professor, we figured it out!" Harry called out to him.

Elric straightened up and gave both boys a hard look. "Did you? Well then, what does 'One is all, all is one' mean then?" He asked sternly.

Both Harry and Nott gulped and gave each other a nervous but brave glance and said together, "I am the world and the world is me!"

Elric looked at them in surprise for a moment, and then threw his head back, giving a full laugh. "Yes! Haha, yes! Oh, you two boys!"

Just like that tension melted and Harry and Nott found that they could meet Elric's interesting pair of eyes easily. His cold and hard attitude…must have been a test in and of itself! Harry thought in amazement. Right when both Harry and Nott joined both Elric and Neville on the ground, Hermione and some other Slytherin came running over, hope and excitement lighting their eyes.

"We figured it out, Professor!" Hermione panted, not noticing Harry already sitting down.

Elric's eyes became hard and stern, unmeet-able once again. "Well, Miss Granger; Miss Greengrass, what's the answer. Both of you seem very proud in your intelligence."

'One is all, and all is one:' many parts make up a whole, but without the whole, there are no parts!" Hermione gasped. Greengrass nodded along.

Once again, Elric congratulated them and the two girls sat down.

One is all, all is one. Once you understand, you realize it couldn't have been anything else.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**A/N: Wow! Three days! Ugh, I was so busy, but I made this thing extra-long and now it's out! I wanted to have a chapter dedicated to how people figured out the riddle.**

**Before anyone asks, no I don't think anyone figured it out to fast. You have to remember none of them are eight and nine, struggling to survive, with some guy trying to pound the pudding out of them. I think they would've figured it out as long as something stimulated their thoughts.**

**Guest: Maybe, but if I recall, kneazle fur and kelpie hair made very weak wands. In my mind, Edward is such a powerful character that he would have a fairly solid wand which is why I stuck with heartstring.**


	6. EXTRA: Hard Friendships?

**Disclaimer: Do not own. as always.**

**Arsenic asked me a question on how Gilderoy knew Edward in Chapter three. At the time, I really wasn't thinking on how Gilderoy knew Ed and I just had the thought that he was..."Formally Introduced" to him. then I realized that Edward would never let someone be properly introduced to him in that manor. Then, my brain went wild thinking on how they would meet each other and this little extra was born.**

**This thing...was too much fun to write.**

**I also want this Extra to be a bit of an apology for the future. I started this story on my spring break and now that my break is coming to a close, there won't be any daily updates. Most likely I'll update once or twice a week, mattering on how much homework me teachers decide to bury me in.**

**On that sad note, enjoy this fun little extra!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_When a new teacher is hired, they are formally introduced to the rest of the staff to grant them an understanding with who they will work with._

_It's sad that Edward Elric never understood this._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Dumbledore let out a weary sigh. He had put out the application for Defense Against the Dark Arts months ago and yet, only one person wanted to job.

Gilderoy Lockheart.

Dumbledore had to admire him, if his books were true; the man had accomplished many great things. On top of that he had a certain charm about him that would sit well with the students and he was also very enthusiastic, something that, Dumbledore felt, would really help his staff. The only real issue Dumbledore foretold would lie with Edward.

Where Gilderoy was accomplished, charming, and enthusiastic; Edward was secretive, closed-off, and hard. The two blond men were complete and total opposites. Dumbledore closed his tired eyes.

_Hopefully, opposites attract in this case. If not, well, hopefully Edward won't harm the man too much…_

~~0~~0~~0~~

Gilderoy grinned as he faced the closed door. The rest of the staff had been positively welcoming and had reacted well with him being a new teacher, but apparently, He, Gilderoy Lockheart, had failed in meeting the second newest member of the staff.

Edward Elric.

Gilderoy wasn't so sure what to make of this 'mystery man.' He had no known accomplishments and by the sounds of it, locked himself in his classroom and didn't come out to speak! If this man wanted to be a good teacher, he had to learn that he has to be more sociable. And who else to teach him but himself, Gilderoy Lockheart?

Grabbing the door knob, Gilderoy swung the door open. Entering with a flourish as his favorite lilac colored robes, it took him a couple of seconds to realize that Edward wasn't in his classroom. It took Gilderoy a couple more seconds to see the second door that lead to his sleeping chambers. Going up to the (slightly imposing) door, Gilderoy knocked loudly a few times before letting himself in.

The first thing Gilderoy noticed was the bookshelf-walls of the darkened room. There was no natural light to be found and the only light came from a single burning torch. The second thing Gilderoy noticed was the blond man hunched over a cluttered desk. White-gloved hands gripped a strange device that acted like a quill, though it didn't seem to need to be dipped in ink. The blond wore a hideous looking red coat. The red was loud and rude. Gilderoy gave himself a mental reminder to suggest a nicer, calmer tone of red for the man's coat.

As soon as the back of the door slammed against the wall, Gilderoy found himself on the opposite end of what looked like a knife being held up to his throat. Golden eyes glittered dangerously in the low light. A few seconds later, the man Gilderoy presumed to be Edward grumbled to himself and whipped around. In a flash of strange blue light, the knife was gone, the hand holding it buried deep within a pocket of the ugly red coat. Edward, meanwhile glared angrily at him.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my room?!" Edward snarled.

"Ah! Forgive me for not introducing myself! I'm Gilderoy Lockheart, as you know. Five times winner of _Witch Weekly's _most charming smile and, of course, author of the many books I have written." Gilderoy beamed.

Edward scowled at the irritating man. "Whatever. Why the hell are you in my room? Get out!"

"I merely wanted to introduce myself to a fellow coworker! You are the only teacher I haven't met yet!" Gilderoy somehow beamed even more, trying to see if his cheerful personality would calm the angry man in front of him.

"_Coworker?!"_ Edward gasped, eyes wide in alarm.

"Why yes! I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!"

"The fuck?!" Edward growled. Really, what was Dumbledore _Thinking? _Or, not thinking, which was probably what happened. Edward had heard about Lockheart and now meeting him in person just proved how much of a shallow idiot he was.

Gilderoy continued talking, gushing about how _abso-fucking-lutly wonderful_ it would be working with him, the amazing and accomplished, Gilderoy Lockheart.

Edward snarled. He hadn't been in a bad mood before but now he certainly was. "Get. Out. NOW!" Edward screamed. Grabbing Lockheart roughly by his candy-colored robes, He literally threw him out the door.

"Wait! Before I go, let me help you! Your red coat is hideous! Allow me to suggest a better quality and tone of red-"

SLAM!

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Hope you enjoyed this Extra! As usual, thanks for reading and please review!**


	7. Singing the Songs of Punishment

**Disclaimer: Guess who doesn't own Harry Potter and Fullmetal Alchemist? This person right here!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward stared out at the clear blue skies and the green sea that seemed to stretch on n miles in every direction. Edward had heard about the colonies set up in a new world called 'America' and he decided to go. He had already scoured and explored Europe. Not only that but he wanted to talk with some of the natives of 'America.' Maybe they could inspire some new theories and make interesting conversationalists. _

_Edward leaned away from the railing of the ship he was on. A number of other people were also on, having abandoning their homes to find a better life across the ocean. Turning around, Edward looked at all the dirty and thin people. Many of them were being persecuted and others simply wanted a simpler life._

_Just like him._

_Taking a few steps away from the railing, he slipped away from the other groups and sat alone. He didn't want to take any chances of falling off the side. With his automail, he couldn't swim. He also wanted to be far away from any living people. Though he's lived for about three hundred years or so (after counting to two hundred he lost track) he still felt uncomfortable and unclean around living beings. They were human. He was not. And that fact cut him deeper than any sword wound could hope for._

_Sitting in the shade, Edward let the rocking of the boat lull him into restfulness, letting the sounds of souls echo around inside him._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward groaned as he dragged himself into breakfast. Dumbledore had made it…adamant that he couldn't skip every meal anymore. In fact, Dumbledore ordered the house elves to only allow him to eat lunch in his room from now on. Edward took the last seat unwillingly. The other professors had to make sure that he got the other seat next to Lockheart.

Edward grabbed a cup of black coffee and started sipping the bitter and hot drink. He was grateful that Lockheart hadn't noticed him yet, being too busy chatting Minerva's ear off. Said witch looked flustered and was trying to dodge all his questions and self-adoring. That is, until, she saw him of course. Giving Edward a pitying and apologetic look, she dismissed herself and practically ran to her classroom. Turning around, Lockheart beamed when he saw Edward sitting next to him.

"Good morning Edward! It's rare seeing you at a meal!" Lockheart started.

Edward tried to drown himself in more coffee. If he kept his mouth busy, maybe Lockheart would take a hint…

"So Edward, how has your classes been going? Mine have been an absolute dream! Though some students really need to reread my books; they didn't even know my favorite color was lilac!" Lockheart babbled.

Meanwhile, Edward had finally gotten to the bottom of his cup. Looking around in slight panic, he noted that there wasn't any more coffee left. Edward mentally prepared himself for stupidity while questioning what the color lilac had to do with defense. Slowly drawing the cup away from his lips, his eyes scoured the table frantically. Seeing a bowl of mushy looking oatmeal, he grabbed the food and started shoveling the mush into his mouth, not noticing the flavor or texture.

"You better slow down, Edward!" Lockheart chided. Grabbing the half-eaten bowl, Lockheart casted it aside, leaving Edward at the mercy of the blue-robed man.

"Lockheart, remember what I said about dragging people into your social practices…" Edward growled.

"Hm? No. when did you tell me that?" Lockheart asked, clueless as ever.

Edward groaned and slapped his head to the table. He's going to need some aspirin after this. Though he bought a couple of bottles in London, something told him that between Lockheart and the Weasely twins, he's going to need another trip soon.

"I told you in the bookstore, Gilderoy." Edward grinded out.

"Ah, yes! You won't believe how many fan letters I get! I'm glad that so many people like my published works and love my smile! But what else do you expect from someone who has won the _Witch Weekly's _most charming smile award five times?" Lockheart continued.

Edward looked at Lockheart quizzically. Was the man deaf? Could be. Maybe all he heard was his own self-adoring, which would make sense. As Lockheart continued to ramble, Edward wondered if anything that someone said to him went in one ear and out the other. Knowing wizards and Lockheart, it was very possible that said man might not actually have a brain. Finally, Edward had had enough.

"I'll be seeing you, Gilderoy." Edward said between his teeth and like Minerva before, practically ran out of the Great Hall. Turning a few corners, he fought to get outside. Fresh air always does wonders on the pained mind. Always.

Getting out into the grounds, Edward strolled along, the Lockheart incident in the back of his mind. He enjoyed the morning air and the sharpness of the air. The sun warmed his ports through the clothing he wore, causing a slight pleasurable tingle to go through his nerves. Today was a beautiful day. Edward continued his stroll down to the Quidditch pitch. Though he didn't particularly care for the sport, the grass was always green and soft; perfect to lie down in and take a nap. Since today was Saturday and the only work he assigned was cracking the riddle, he had no papers to grade. Plus he had finished all his lesson plans up to the start of next term. Who said being a professor to a bunch of young brats was hard? Not him.

Edward had just settled himself next to one of the poles when the sound of arguing broke the calm. _What now?_ Edward thought and with a grumble, he stood up. Near the middle of the pitch, sixteen students were standing. Seven were in green and silver robes; seven were in red and gold. The last two were standing behind the Gryffindor side, watching the argument like he was.

Edward knew he should probably want to break up the fight because fighting was wrong in a school but the only reason that he found himself climbing to his mismatched feet was because he was irritated. He only wanted to relax and maybe have a conversation with one of the many actual sensible people within him! Was that too much to ask for? Apparently.

Standing up and stretching, he took off after the green and red robed wizards, readying himself for flying spells and irritating prepubescent voices.

"Hey! What's going on?" He called out, breaking into a light jog.

The sixteen figures didn't seem to notice. As he neared them, he caught snippets of the argument.

"-filthy little mudblood."

Edward snarled and broke into a run as Fred and George leaped for a small, blond figure. He heard a girl shriek _"How dare you!" _ Edward appeared just as Ron Weasley was pulling out his wand.

"Stop this instant or you'll _all_ get detentions!" Edward snarled, throwing himself between the two fighting teams. At the sight of him, every student who's taken alchemy paled and stepped back. Sadly, this was only the Weasley twins, the golden trio, and Draco Malfoy. The other students leaned away, only having to have heard the rumors about the golden eyed teacher. Edward glared around at the students.

"What the hell is going on here?!" He snarled. First Lockheart and now a stupid fight. This was supposed to be a day of relaxation, not tension.

"W-well you see, professor…" A burly Gryffindor said to the right of him. Though Edward didn't know his name, he could clearly see he was the leader here. The Gryffindor explained how he had booked the field and that the Slytherins marched in here and started throwing insults for no reason. Flint tried to butt in during the explanation, but a sharp look from Edward silenced him. After the Gryffindor explanation, he got a similar, but different explanation from the Slytherins, who said that they offered to share the pitch, but got threatened. Edward took the note to make sure they were telling the truth.

"Hm, Malfoy, you're they're new seeken?" Edward asked.

Malfoy went pale and nodded, not bothering to correct Edward.

Edward threw him a slight smile. "Good for you. But…" Edward's smile darkened and the rest of the Slytherin team took many steps back, awaiting the tornado of rage that would overtake the young Malfoy.

"Calling someone a mudblood is disgusting in and of itself. In fact, this entire fight is stupid." Edward let his eyes rake across the students. Mentally cursing himself that he was only taller than the second years there, he scolded all of them.

"Why can't you share this dumb pitch? Look, there are six hoops. I'm pretty there's plenty of room." Edward jabbed is automail finger to each hoop as he pointed them out.

"Professor, we can't share! They'll know all our tactics!" the Gryffindor leader burst out. He flinched when Edward caught his eye. Letting a twisted smile cross his face, Edward sneered. "Detention for back talking a teacher. What's your name?"

"Oliver Wood." He croaked out, fear written all over his face.

Edward whipped around to the Slytherin side. Seeing the leader's gloating face, he gave him a detention as well.

"But sir…!"

"Name?" Edward snarled.

"…Marcus Flint." He muttered.

"Detention for being a smartass."

"Malfoy, who did you call a mudblood?" Edward asked, not even missing a beat.

"um, uh, G-G-Granger…" He wimpered.

"Detention for using foul language."

Finally, Hermione had enough. "Professor you can't just throw detentions around like that!" She cried out, unable to stand the sight of a teacher abusing their power and breaking the rules.

"Detention, Miss Granger." Edward sung. "Oh, by the way, Slytherin gets the pitch. Better practice hard, Malfoy or I'll take your permission away." Edward strolled away, gloating about the power he held over the students.

"I'll see you tonight at seven, Wood, Flint, Malfoy, and Granger."

And with that, Edward headed on inside. He had detentions to plan.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Draco mumbled to himself as he walked down to his alchemy class that night. He was terrified at what Elric might do to him. Knowing that mad professor and his disregard to safety, he could lock him in the dungeons for the rest of the night. Or hang him by the ceiling by his toes. Or…

Draco shook his head violently as he opened the door to the classroom, shutting the door behind him; he froze when he saw what was going on.

Wood and Flint were sitting on a strange and uncomfortable looking couch that wasn't there before. The couch seemed to be made of the same material as the floor and was even connected to the floor at the base. Wood and Flint were sitting as far enough away from each other as possible and were holding hands. It took a few seconds for Draco to register they were singing.

"I'm a little teapot short and snout. Here is my handle, here is my spout…" They sung together in monotone, both of them having a strong red blush occupying their cheeks. When they caught the sight of Draco, they stopped immediately and broke away, flushing even more furiously.

"Hey! I never told you to stop!" A familiar voice rang out. Draco looked up to see Elric sitting at his desk. He seemed to be rifling through a large, dusty looking tomb. He had an amused grin on his face as he glanced toward the two boys. Seeing where their horrified eyes were staring, Draco found his eyes being met with laid-back, amused golden ones. Elric cracked a wide grin.

"Don't worry, Malfoy. When Granger gets here, we'll start your punishment." Elric purred.

Draco stared at him, terrified. He couldn't help but ask, "will it be the same as, um, theirs?" Draco pointed at the two boys.

"Nope!" Edward sung. Turning back to the boys, he snarled. "I never said you could stop! Go on, continue!" Both boys flinched. Grabbing a fallen book that Draco didn't notice and propping it up between them, they clasped their hands together again and continued singing.

The door swung open in and banged loudly against the wall. "Sorry I'm late, Professor! I was completing some homework and lost track of time…" Hermione panted.

Elric nodded and motioned for the both of them to stand in front of his desk. Both second years nervously stood before the teacher, noticing a large pile of what looked like mud sitting on his desk.

"Can you tell me what this is, Malfoy?" Elric whispered, his eyes bright and dangerous.

"I-its m-mud." Draco croaked out, eyes darting around.

"Yes. It's mud. Draco, Hermione, give me your left hands." He asked.

Barley giving a glance at one another, both students passed their hands to the professor. A flash of metal and a sharp sting later, both students watched as a few drops of blood oozed out of a small cut on both their index fingers. Elric set the sharp steak knife down next to him and grabbed both students' hands, comparing the crimson to each other and the mud.

"Malfoy, does Granger's blood look like mud to you?" He asked.

Draco looked at his hand, then Hermione's. The blood was the exact same. Same color. Same thickness. Same…everything. Draco shook his head no.

"So, 'mudblood' isn't the proper insult because Granger here doesn't have mud for blood." Edward continued.

Draco stayed silent.

"In fact, did you know that blood is made of red cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma? I'm going to make this simple for both of you. Red blood cells carry oxygen around your body and are red due to the iron in them. White cells keep diseases out of your bloodstream. Platelets clot your blood when you get cut, forming scabs. Plasma brings nourishment to your organs and gets rid of waste. Everyone's blood is made of these four things. _No one has mud for blood_." Elric explained, his eyes sparking.

"Did I tell you two to stop singing? He asked Wood and Flint, not even looking at them. Both boys stopped staring at the professor and went back to singing about Mary's lamb.

"Now, I have a feeling that even though I explained this to you, you will ignore what I've told you and continue calling others by this _stupid_ insult, so I have an idea." Looking between the second years, Elric continued, "both of you are to meet here at seven every Saturday for the rest of the year and for an hour you two are going to help each other in alchemy. Basically, you'll tutor each other." Elric finished with a wide grin. Automatically, both students started to complain.

"I'm going to be busy…!"

I don't need tutoring!"

"Wait till my father hears about this…!"

"I have other work to be doing, professor!"

"QUIET!"

Both students fell quiet at the professor's scream.

"We're only a week into this year so I doubt both of you are going to already have plans. If you do, too bad. Malfoy, stop bragging about your father. It makes you sound like an immature daddy's-boy. Granger, I know you think your smart, and you are, but your no genius and you will need help. Trust me." Elric smiled. "Both of you are dismissed. Remember, next Saturday." With that being said, both second years gave each other dirty looks before slipping out of the classroom, heading to their respected classrooms. Meanwhile, Edward turned back to Wood and Flint.

"Just another thirty minutes left boys. Make sure you sing 'Twinkle twinkle little star.' That's my favorite."

Both boys silently cried inside.

~~0~~0~~0~~

"What?" Ron cried out in outrage. Harry stared at Hermione in shock and pity, not knowing what to say.

"Elric's making me tutor with _Malfoy_ over alchemy!" She cried. Hermione's cheeks were flushed with an angry red and she was practically in tears.

Ron continued to mutter obscenities under his breath.

"Are punishments like that even allowed?" Harry asked. Though he did find Wood's and Flint's punishment hilarious, he couldn't help but wonder if it was breaking some school rules.

"I doubt it, but I don't think Dumbledore will fire him. There isn't anyone who can take his place." Hermione said. "Anyways, how did your detentions go?" She asked.

Harry and Ron gave her uneasy looks before diving into the story of Lockheart, Snape, and the strange voices.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**A/N: Sorry it's short. To be honest, I wasn't so sure what else I wanted to add. **

**Before anyone worries(or hopes), this will NOT be a HermioneXDraco story. In fact, I will most likely never ever write any romance. Unless its canon and the story calls for it for what ever reason. The reason for this is because I wouldn't know romance if it hit me in the face. Lets just say my idea for a "romantic date" is going to the amusement park and seeing how many times it takes for me to start feeling nauseous on a rollercoaster.**

**So yea...no romance.**

**This will probably be the last chapter that comes out on my spring break, but I don't know. Matters how much time I get to type this weekend.**

** Anyways, thanks for reading and of course, leave a review, if you so choose.**


	8. My Taint, My Sin

**Disclaimer: Do not own! Do not own! Will, sadly never own!~**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward grunted as he lifted another wounded onto his back and carried him away to safety. It hadn't been too long before America, like so many countries before it, broke into civil war. Brother turned upon brother, families were shredded apart due to beliefs and gun fire. All of this over the blindness of humanity. How they couldn't accept someone because of the color of their _skin. _Sometimes, very rarely, Edward wondered who the true monsters of the world were_. _But the answer would always rebound and point to him. Carrying the soldier to safety, Edward watched in disgust on how the wounded was taken care of. It wasn't how they were treated per say, but the doctors and surgeons ignorance that killed off many people. It was lucky that he was a master of forgeries. He easily made himself a doctor so he could help heal the wounded. Edward couldn't grind the war to a stop; he didn't have the power or the political know-how to do that. But Edward _could_ save lives._

_Edward stared down at the man he dropped off in the stretcher. His leg had been blown clean off due to cannon fire from the southerners and now he was bleeding out. Badly. Edward felt empathy for the unknown soldier. He knew how it felt to get a limb cut off, leaving a bleeding, sensitive stump. Edward glanced around nervously, making sure that no one was looking. Clapping his hands quietly, he placed them on the man's stump, letting red alchemic light flash. He couldn't just regrow the man's leg, that would draw unwanted attention and he didn't need any more people label him a demon or call him a God and try to worship him. He got enough of the former in Europe and enough of the latter when meeting Native Americans. Edward didn't need to be splashed with holy water or a cult following. He just wanted to help people in need._

_Edward watched as the transmutation cleaned out the wound of infection and even allowed for a thin layer of skin to grow over the wound to help stop the bleeding. Grabbing the nearby bandages, Edward wrapped up the stump, careful of the thin and new skin and the obvious soreness._

_Cleaning his hands off with some soap and water he brought with him he moved onto his next patient before a doctor or surgeon could come over. Edward knew they only wanted to help, but they were doing more harm than good. When they couldn't stop infection, which was most of the time due to the dirty conditions, they simply amputated the offending limbs. It would work fine if they ever practiced basic hygiene and washed off the blade, but they didn't. In the end, incurable infection would set into the stumps and people died from it. Edward tried his hardest to clean out the infection with his alchemy, but he had to be careful. Though it wasn't as major as bringing the dead back to life or even creating humans, Edward was still practicing Human Transmutation so he had to be careful or the rebound would not only take his patients life, but a life within the stone as well._

_Looking down at a young seventeen year old, Edward gave an empathetic sigh as he cleaned out the infection of the stump that used to be his right arm. Though he couldn't grow back their limbs, at least Edward could save their lives. It was the least he could do considering all the lives he's taken over his many years of immortality._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward watched as his remaining second years walk into his classroom. It was the last week of September and the students remaining in his classes was slightly less than half. Most people were kicked out because they couldn't solve the riddle, though some dropped out because of the rumors of what happened to Wood and Flint in detention. Both boys, when asked, would shudder violently before changing the subject. Now that there were fewer students, Edward only had six classes, one class per year, minus all first years but one. Luna Lovegood was placed in his third year class due to the fact that all the other classes were completely full. As the second years settled down into their seats, Edward got up from where he was sitting and started scribbling two words on the board.

_EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE_

Turning around, he looked at the students. Unsurprisingly Neville and Granger were at the front but much to his surprise, so were Harry and Malfoy.

"Does anyone know what this means?" Edward asked, jabbing a gloved, flesh finger at the board. Raking his eyes across the class, he was disappointed to see that only Granger raised her hand. Edward knew that Malfoy and Neville knew the answer but Neville was too shy and Malfoy was scared of being judged. It was sad, really. Hopefully he could change them for the better.

"Granger?"

"In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed." She rattled off, word-for-word.

Edward granted her a rare, ghost of a smile. "Word-for-word exactly. Good. Now, for those of you still confused…" Edward gave the confused looking students a slight glare. "Alchemy follows two rules; The Law of Conservation of Mass and The Law of Natural Providence. These two laws together are what is called Equivalent Exchange, which means your input must equal your output. If I have a pound of iron, I can only make something that costs a pound of iron. Well, why aren't any of you writing this information down?"

There was a flurry of parchment, ink, and quills as students hurried to write down what he said. Edward went to his desk and grabbed a stack of papers. He started passing them around the class.

"This is the Periodic Table of Elements. For you to be successful in this class, all of you must memorize this table. In fact, I'll give you a week. Next time you come to class, there will be a test. If you don't pass, you will have to keep taking it until you pass." Edward stated. Upon seeing the table, many students paled though some looked a bit confused.

"Professor, isn't this a muggle thing?" A Ravenclaw student asked.

Edward had a mental twitch at the slur. Though all wizards seem find calling non-magical people "muggles," Edward hated the term. It sounded rude and seemed to dehumanize others. He considered it racist. Despite this, Edward knew he couldn't punish students because they used the term. By Wizarding World standards, it was normal.

"Yes it is. Unlike magic, _everyone _has the ability to learn alchemy, though it does take a certain mindset to properly be able to use it." Edward replied.

The students looked absolutely flabbergasted at the revelation. Edward smirked.

"But alchemy is a branch of magic! How can dirty _muggles _learn magic?" Malfoy questioned out loud with a disgusted look on his face.

Edward sneered. Bending down so he was in front of Malfoy, he let his golden eyes meet Malfoy's cold silvery-grey ones, not letting Malfoy tear his gaze away.

"Because alchemy is _not_ magic. It is a science." Edward growled, just loud enough for the entire class to hear. Pulling away from the terrified Slytherin, he returned to the front of the classroom.

"Any questions?" Edward asked.

Granger's hand shot up into the air. Raising his brow, Edward called on her.

"How do you know everyone can perform alchemy, professor?" She asked.

"I've met alchemists that weren't wizards, Miss Granger."

"Like who?"

"No one you would've heard about. Now, get to memorizing that table, all of you." Edward finished, taking a relaxing seat at his desk.

Despite the obvious dismissal, Granger continued to ask her questions. "Did you know Nicholas Flamel?"

Edward almost fell out of his desk when he heard her ask that question. How did she know Flamel? That's when Edward remembered that she was one of Harry's friends. She must have helped protect the stone, knowing the girl.

"Yes I did. We had worked together for some years." Edward answered. He didn't need to tell the class the ugly truth about what happened in 1350. How Nicholas became a mass murderer. How he, himself, became a walking sin.

"Did?"

"He died earlier this year." He answered, his voice and eyes completely neutral, giving away no emotion whatsoever.

Guilt overtook the young girl's face and she tripped over an apology. Edward waved it away.

"It's fine. He lived a long life." Edward reassured her. Granger smiled slightly at him. The other students, seeing that Edward wasn't being nearly as intimidating as usual, tentatively raised their hands as well, wanting their own questions answered. Edward cocked a brow. Only now did they have questions? Edward sighed. If he didn't answer them to some extent, he would only be pestered later on. That was the nature of students.

"Who taught you alchemy? Was it Flamel?" One brave Hufflepuff asked him after being called on.

Edward almost snorted in laughter. Nicholas? _Teach him_ alchemy? More like the other way around. But the students didn't need to know that. "No, I mostly self-taught myself." Edward replied, not letting himself get pulled down by memories. The students, meanwhile, looked both shocked and impressed.

"But I thought you were taught on a deserted island?" One Slytherin called out in confusion.

Edward couldn't help but bite back a full-body shudder and grin widely. "I got a teacher to help hone my skills. I wasn't _taught_ on an island, per say. More liked tossed onto an island with only a knife to defend myself while a man dressed up in tribal garb tried to pound me into the ground. Oh, and before anyone asks, I was nine at the time." Edward said cheerfully, trying to mask the wound that was slowly ripping itself open again. Edward let the unwanted pain and memories wash off him as he stared around at the hilarious mixture of shock, horror, and disbelief that stared right back at him in the form of innocent child eyes. Every student was at a loss of what to say, every hand having dropped back down. Finally, Harry raised his hand, the shock factor having worn off.

"Professor, why do you have golden eyes and hair?" Harry wondered. Harry's question seemed to break the stillness in the classroom. Students looked questionably at Edward. Many theories flew around Hogwarts on why Edward had such unusual features, but no one had been brave enough to ask.

"Genetics." Was Edward's silky reply. Yet at the confused looks, Edward found himself having to have to dumb down the answer. "It runs in my family." He explained. Understanding and slight disappointment lit every students face. It was nice to know, even though the truth had been anticlimactic.

Meanwhile, Edward felt the familiar push of memories trying to fight to the surface, a familiar feel of him pushing back and discarding the unwanted thoughts, and a slight shifting and calming whispering of the souls inside of him. Edward let himself sink deeper into his chair.

"No more questions. Get to memorizing." Edward ordered, not letting any room in for debate.

With great hesitation, the students dived into the dull work of memorizing their tables, silently hoping for the class to be over soon.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Harry grumbled to himself as he slipped into his seat at the Gryffindor table in the early morning. Today was the test in alchemy and he still didn't have the chart completely memorized. He could rattle off about two-thirds of the chart with hard thinking, but that wasn't anywhere near enough to pass. By the sounds of it, Elric made it so you either passed the test by having the table memorized all the way or failing you if you didn't. Pulling a plate of eggs towards him, Harry helped himself to some breakfast, glad that alchemy was after lunch. At least he had some extra time.

As Harry pondered his thoughts, Ron grabbed the seat next to him. Grabbing a plate of sausage, he started eating heartily. "Whaf up Arrgh?" He asked, mouth stuffed full with warm and steamy goodness.

"It's the alchemy homework. I don't have the entire table memorized and the test is today!" Harry explained, slight panic tinting his voice. Normally, Harry wouldn't be too scared about failing a test, especially if the professor only gave you a week to learn the materials, but there was something about Professor Elric that made you want to…well, maybe not impress him. Maybe…Prove yourself? That's it! Harry wanted to prove to Elric that he could succeed at alchemy. Elric had challenged him and it was a challenge that Harry actually wanted to take up.

Ron swallowed loudly. "I'm glad I dropped out. Seems way too hard for what its worth."

"You didn't drop out, you couldn't figure out the riddle." A disproving Hermione said as she fell into the seat across the two boys.

"Not my fault no one would tell me what it meant!" Ron cried out.

"It was _physically impossible!_ Besides, Elric was right. If you don't figure it out on your own, you will never truly understand alchemy." Hermione finished as she started scooping up her cereal to eat.

Harry sighed miserably as he glanced towards Hermione. "Hey, Hermione, do you have the table memorized?"

"Of course I do! I also memorized the masses of each element. I also didn't know if Elric would want them listed off alphabetically or by atomic number, so I went ahead and memorized the order of the elements both ways." She said, her eyes determined to show Elric how smart she really was. Ever since her dreadful punishment with Malfoy, where he dismissed her intelligence, she had been dying to show him up some way. She was determined for him to admit, one day, that she was smarter than he gave her credit for and that day was today, the third of October.

Harry groaned at the cheerful response. If only he had more time…

~~0~~0~~0~~

Directly after lunch, Hermione, Harry, and Neville made their way to the alchemy classroom. Throughout the day, both Neville and Harry struggled to retain the information presented to them in the Periodic Table. Both boys were proud to announce that they could rattle off all the elements in the order of their atomic number with some thinking. As they made their way to the class, the trio was surprised to find a note taped onto the door.

_Class Cancelled_

_Study in your common rooms_

The trio stared in shock and disappointment. Both Neville and Harry were frustrated. They worried over this one test all day and now the teacher decides to cancel it! Despite the fact that they crammed the entire day for nothing, both boys were happy to know that they would be able to study a bit more before the test.

Meanwhile, Hermione wasn't so glad. In fact, she was both furious and worried for the enigmatic professor. Was he sick? Professors didn't just cancel their classes for no reason. Though, Hermione had to admit, she wouldn't put it past Elric to do just that considering he had no respect for school rules. Still, if he was sick, Hermione wanted him to feel better.

"This…is strange. Maybe he's sick? Let's go check the Hospital wing." Hermione told the two boys. Neville and Harry were about to ask why Hermione thought he would be in the Hospital wing when the sound of something shattering and an angry snarl ripped through the air, coming from behind the closed alchemy door. Hermione didn't even give the boys a glance as she whipped out her wand and unlocked the door. Carefully pushing open the once locked door, the students carefully stepped into the room, freezing once they saw the state it was in.

Shattered glass peppered the floor, reflecting off the single, dusty, torch that only lit the room enough to see desks. Holes were punched clean through some of the student desks. The chalk board had random things drawn on it. A mixture of half-finished circles as well as writing in a language that none of the students had ever seen before. Yet, despite the messiness of the room, it didn't compare to the familiar blond that sat at his desk, pieces of glass still falling from his right hand when he accidentally crushed a bottle in it.

"Professor! Are you alright?" Hermione cried out. She knew it was a stupid question; Professor Elric was not all right in any way, shape, or form. His hair was out of its normal braid and was tangled in wild, frenzy knots. His clothes were rumpled and wrinkly, like he hadn't changed them at all. He was also missing his signature red coat. On top of that, the man's entire demeanor was completely opposite of his usual attitude. Instead of being snarky, sarcastic, and stern with a dash of morbid sense of humor; the man in front of the wizards was more like a kicked puppy that was kicked one to many times. He was sullen, depressing, and moody with an appearance of a _truly_ insane person.

Elric glanced up at the students. Instead of molten gold that seemed to pierce right through your very soul, dull copperish eyes stared at the wizards. Eyes that have seen way too much in too little of time. Eyes that have seen true evil and have gone blind of it. Eyes that have seen death thousands of times and know that they will see death a thousand more. Eyes that belonged to a sinner with too many sins to bear.

Eyes that have been through hell and back.

But the young wizards couldn't detect the raw emotions behind the mugginess that alcohol gave them. The pre-teens couldn't understand all the cruelties that lay buried beneath the Earth's skin, ready to claw out and grab innocents to drag through the_ Truth_. To show them how_ insignificant_ they really are; That no matter how hard you try, you can never escape the cold and hard reality that everyone ends up going to the same, agony-filled place. The only difference between people being how fast they reached that pain hidden from innocent eyes and how fast those innocents would break down into either a sobbing, trembling wreak or a creature that could no longer be called human.

But Harry, Hermione, and Neville were only twelve years of age. They've barley took a step into the wide world. All three of them were still trapped in the confines of a nursery, where the walls are painted a candy blue and pink and where there is always a lie to hold you and soothe you into the reality defying realm of sleep. So lucky, those three pre-teens were.

Yet, the teens still stared in apprehension and worry over the obvious drunk professor. Elric seemed to stare at them, confused until very slight recognition entered his eyes.

"Ah, Neville, 'Arry, 'Anger. What're ya tree doin' here? Can' read can ya?" He asked, alcohol muddling his speech as well as making his accent even heavier.

"We heard something shatter, Professor. We were worried." Harry replied, not moving an inch.

"Oh yea…" Elric muttered, staring dejectedly at the broken glass in his hand. Taking out his wand, Elric clumsily waved it over the shards, fixing up the liquor bottle. He then tried to stick his wand into the bottle, but he kept missing. Looking up at the wizards, he asked, "Can one o ya fill this up with water?"

Hermione let a hopeful smile cross her features. Maybe if Elric splashed some water onto his face and drank some of the healing, cool liquid, it would wake him up enough so that they could get him to Madame Pomfrey's and get him sober again without a fuss. Stepping toward the professor eagerly, she wasn't aware of Harry and Neville trying to grab her robes and pull her back. Hermione may believe in all the professors easily enough, but both boys were apprehensive of Elric. If Hermione wasn't careful she could get on the wrong side of the drunken man's anger.

The slight tug in her robes didn't deter Hermione and she went up and took the liquor bottle from Elric, filling it to the brim with fresh water from her wand.

"Thanks" He warbled out. Staring at the water for a second, Harry could see a very slight understanding enter his eyes. Setting the bottle down, he looked at the students.

"Wanna see somethink cool?" He slurred, his accent becoming even more prominent and deep. Before the trio could even give an answer, Elric clapped his hands together into what almost looked like prayer before placing either hand on the sides of the bottle. An electric red flash obscured their view of the bottle and the professor while a slight wind took hold of the classroom. The trio knew it was alchemic light and wind that was created, remembering back to the first class they had with the odd professor. But if they remembered correctly, that light had been an electrifying blue, not a haunting blood-red color. When the light and wind died down, the students saw that the water was replaced with a thicker red beverage instead. The smell of red wine wafted from the bottle and the professor took a swing of the new drink. His face puckered up immediately, though he didn't seem to mind the taste as he took a few more swings.

"I waz tryink for liquor, but I got wine instead. Oh well" He muttered, drowning more of the blood-red drink.

Hermione stared at the Professor in shock along with Harry and Neville. They never would've thought a teacher would drink in their presence inside school, let alone Professor Elric.

"Professor! Stop! This is unhealthy-"Before Hermione could finish what she was saying, an angry snarl ripped through the room, causing her to scurry back to Harry and Neville at the entrance to the class. Elric glared at her in drunken anger before standing up to his feet. Though he fell down several times and eventually had to use the student desks to hold himself steady, the students looked up at him in fear, wondering what the man would do to them.

But instead of screaming or even striking them, Elric, somehow, pushed them out the door.

"I'm sorrie. You tree want to 'elp but there iz nothink you tree can do. Let me 'ave tis day of rest. But tank you. See you tomorrow, 'Eville, 'Arry, 'Mione." Elric slurred. With that being said, he shut the door in the trio's face. The students watched as a blue light seeped through the door. Though unknowing to the trio, Elric had just sealed the door to stop any other unwanted intrusions.

Giving each other confused and worried glances, the three made their way to the common room, planning on discussing what just happened.

Hermione was halfway through the portrait hole when she realized that Elric had called her by her first name.

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Hours before…_

Edward groaned as he woke up from his haunting nightmares. It was always the nightmares that got him. The terrors that lay behind his eyes causing his heart to beat furiously and his eyes strain to see something past the inky darkness that hung in his room. Letting out a large sigh, Edward was silently grateful that his dorm was soundproof. Getting up to his feet, he clapped once and bent down to the floor. Opening a small hole, he grabbed several bottles of liquor, gin, and whiskey, both normal and fire. Taking the mixture of normal and wizarding alcoholic drinks, Edward knocked the unorganized papers off his desk to the floor. Today was the only day he allowed the memories to wash over him. Today was the day he allowed himself to grieve. Today was the only day he allowed himself to get so drunk that he couldn't even walk anymore. Yet despite the alcohol, Edward would always find himself blinded by the adventures and sins of his past. Blinded by homesickness and _want_. Want for his brother. For Winry. For Resembol. For _Amestris_. His want to see Teacher, throwing knives and all. Hell, he would give anything just to see the Colonel Bastard's face again. Tell him that he was a dirty no-good 'useless in the rain' bastard and that _he_ missed him. Maybe not as much as Al and Winry…

_Al...Winry_… Edward thought. He was sure that if none of this disaster ever happened; if he wasn't sent to the other side of the Gate, he would've married Winry. But that wasn't possible now. Winry was dust in the ground. She was _dead_. Just like Al. Sweet, kind, wonderful, cat-loving _Al_. That beautiful boy; that beautiful _soul_…was gone. Ripped from Edward's life. Everything he's ever cherished in life is always ripped away. His entire world…gone. His only student here…gone. Where ever he went, disaster followed. He couldn't stop the Civil war in America or either World Wars. But who was he kidding? Edward couldn't even save _himself_ so how could he ever save one small, little girl turned into a chimera? Or anyone else for that matter? Edward was a failure. He was a walking sin. He had been too arrogant; he had believed himself to be just as good as God. But like the old story goes, about the man who built wings to touch the sun, Edward had crashed and burned. But unlike Icarus, Edward had dragged so many innocents down with him; his hands could never be wiped clean. He was so dirty he was surprised people don't see the crimson stains that he leaves in both reality and within people's hearts.

Edward tipped a random bottle over his gaping mouth, letting the bitter drink slide down and burn his throat. He could feel them, all the souls he's dammed. They wanted to reach out to him, cradle and care for his tormented and twisted mind and body, but they _couldn't_, he wouldn't let them. They might not blame him, but he did. Yet, even after six or seven hundred fucking years, they still didn't understand why he blamed himself. At least now they knew not to try and fix him. Sure, you never fix something that isn't broken but what if something has been broken for too many years, that, if someone tried to fix it, it would be even more broken. No, not even broken, but _completely shattered._ Then what is there to do but to sweep up the pieces and throw them away?

Edward groaned as he grabbed a random sheet of paper and scribbled _'Class Cancelled/Study in your common rooms_. Dragging his feet over to his door, he swung it out. Going over to his desk, he dropped the half-full bottle on the desk and took some tape instead. Going outside into the hallway, he was grateful it was around 2:00. No students would be out. Taping the message to the door, he stumbled back inside and locked the door behind him.

Grabbing more bottles of bitter liquid from his bedroom, Edward sat down at his desk. He wasn't drunk yet, just depressed and he didn't want the chance of him accidently ruining his research papers. Sinking into the uncomfortable wooden chair, he glugged down more gin, the liquid leaving a horrible, bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't drink usually; only when the situation demanded it or on this day. This horrible fucking day. The third of October.

Why did every terrible life-changing event happen on this _one_ day? He burned his house down and accepted the goal of returning his brother's body back while, at the same time, piled all his guilt from that sin on this one day. Fast-forward some and it was the day he absorbed the Philosopher's Stone.

Edward let out a bitter laugh. Standing up unsteadily, he paced around the room. Nicholas had chosen his day well. The only day Edward left him alone while he, himself, grieved. And though Edward figured out what was happening, he was too late. Too late, as always. The stone was created, Edward's life and plans shattered, and now he wandered around uselessly, going place to place. He would wander around for years yet until all the souls were used up and he drop dead somewhere, alone and unknown.

Edward lashed out at some of the desks with his right arm, punching clean through the tops. After some more destruction, Edward felt the angry, drunken filled rage leave and he collapsed onto the ground. He lay there for a while, allowing more memories to tug at his heartstrings. As he remembered the events that had befallen him and his brother, he couldn't help but think of all the options he had at the time, how a different action, a different plan, a slight change in what happened in the cruel end could've stopped this from ever happening.

Dragging himself to his feet, Edward dropped the empty gin bottle, letting it shatter all over the floor. The sharp sound was music to his ears. In that one sound he heard build-up, a crescendo to a glorious and dark climax, then the fall of sound and the whispers of tinkling glass falling into a deafening silence that would never come again. Edward flopped against the chalkboard uselessly. Grabbing a bottle of fire whiskey, he popped the lid and guzzled the clear, fiery liquid. Wizards sure knew how to make their whiskey. Grabbing a piece of chalk, Edward once again struggled against his memories and tears. The offending wet liquid always came on this day. This single day, every year. No matter how hard he tried to block it. No matter how much he told himself that a beast like him didn't deserve to cry, he always found himself curled up against the floor, empty bottle in hand, a trembling sobbing wreak. Edward let his hand go. Seeing the Amestrian language being written by him, the only person in the world knowing such a language, made tears bunch up in his eyes. Bunch up, but not fall. He didn't deserve release. He didn't deserve to cry.

Edward fell into his desk. Sinking into the hard wood, he let himself release by drinking. He drowned bottles and bottles of burning, bitter, disgusting liquid. He didn't care about the taste; he didn't care about anything right now. He saw nothing, he heard nothing. He could only sense the gross taste that took residence on his tongue, the feel of a glass bottle in his hand, and the swirl of alcohol in his nostrils as the reels of memory played behind his eyes.

As Edward drowned the last of his liquor, he closed his automail fist around the glass, causing it to shatter. That's when three figures came into the room. Edward didn't lift his head. Didn't until they asked the stupid question: If he was okay. Did he look okay to them? No, no he didn't. He was incredibly drunk, his limbs heavy and mostly unresponsive, his mind blurry and confused.

He let his dull eyes meet theirs and he was slightly shocked at the raw emotion within the eyes of the young children. They were worried and shocked. Sad and confused. So many emotions played out on their faces, emotions that screamed pure and untainted innocence. They hadn't seen the ugly truth. They hadn't realized how dark and horrifying the world really was, how the only reason anyone was brought into the ugly disaster of life was so the World, God, Universe, All, One, Truth, _Yourself_ could fuck you over. But these three twelve year olds couldn't possibly understand that. They still say the world through a curtained covered window. They see light shining through the fabric of the curtain, but when they open it up and peer out the window, they'll see that it wasn't the bright sun they were thinking of, but the vengeful fires of hell that tortured and burned innocents like them until they were ashes in the wind. Ashes with no purpose or name.

He showed them a trick, a glimpse of harmful sin. Turning something pure into something tainted. Water to wine. Innocent to murderer. Life to death. They were shocked and they wanted to help him, so desperate to heal his wounds, staunch the bleeding. But the wound was too deep. Too much infection inside it to heal. They wanted to help him, but what makes them think that they _could?_ If the souls inside him, the people neither friends nor family, yet knew more about him than anyone else, couldn't help him, how could three clueless pre-teens? He let out a frustrated snarl of anger. _Why_ did these three have to be so wonderfully _human?_ How could Granger _want_ to help some monster like him? He couldn't fathom it, didn't want to fathom it. He wanted them to leave so he could lie there in his self-hate and rot. That is what he wanted.

So, he pushed the children out, away from the darkness, away from torment and unknown sin. They deserved to be innocent; to be children for as long as possible. It was a blessing he never had. A blessing he never deserved.

Yet, despite his thoughts and sure want, Edward couldn't help but feel touched that, though clueless, someone did worry.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**A/N: Holy freaking...This chapter was, in one word, CRAZY. I didn't expect it be so long. I really, really didn't. I knew it would have angst, but not about...eight pages?! Wow.**

**Now I know that I keep saying, "This is the last chapter for a while...no daily updates...ect. ect." But this really WILL be the last chapter for a while. I was typing like a madwomen. when it comes to angst, if I don't sit down and write it all out in one sitting, it simply doesn't seem to flow right (at least to me!) **

**For those of you who dislike angst, I am going to go ahead and warn you that there will be more of it, though not this bad. For those of you, like me, love angst, then be happy because there WILL be more of it!**

**But as always, thank you for reading, you beautiful person and as always, drop down a review. Though I will never ask for a certain amount of reviews before posting another chapter, they really do help and keep me motivated!**

**OH before I forget, yes, the civil war flashback really actually happened during the American Civil war and for those of you who never learned about the American Civil war for whatever reason, here is a summery. **

**North said no to slavery. South said yes. South broke away from North and formed their own country. North fought South to get it back. North won. No more slavery in America.**

**OH and to answer some questions before I forget,**

**Guest: *Shrugs* I can't answer that for you. That lies within the HP universe that was never touched upon, but it is a good question! I'll have to think of some theories and get back to you!**

**Guest: I have gloves that kinda look like Ed's but they're for band and are black and a second pair that are pink. Trust me, they are thin enough where you can scratch a chalkboard and get a noise. Plus, Ed's automail fingers have grooves where the different metal plates connect in his fingers. They would still make a sound on a chalkboard.**

**Faliara: Oh yes, there will be LOTS of friendship going around, trust me!**


	9. Exercise is Fun

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP or FMA and most likely never will. Unless I find a genie of course...Until that happens though...I don' own!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward stood and stared over the railing at the retreating sun. The sky was stained in the soothing colors of orange, dark blue, pink, and black. Signifying the end of a day, a day that will never be given back, a day that will never come again, a day that was dying, so close to being dead as soon as that hand of fate struck twelve on the face of time. Edward sighed. Though sunset was the death of a day, its colors bleeding across the sky like some strange alien wound, it also gives birth to a new day, where similar yet different colors would dance across the sky in tantalizing movement._

_Edward backed up away from the railing and the sea. It was funny how he had never cared for the way the days changed, the different and wonderful colors that painted the sky every day in a similar, but different fashion. Strange that such a natural and addicting beauty would only come to him after he was banished from Amestris; after he would transform into a monster. It was oddly poetic, in a way, that sunset and sunrise were the only things he really saw as _beautiful_ in this world now._

_Edward growled at his thoughts. He sounded pathetic, even to him. America, though it had opened new doors, both freed and tainted him in a way. He was going back now, though. Back to his 'home,' where he could bury the three souls he lost in the land of the free._

_But America did give Edward one thing. It gave him a goal. A long term goal. _

_After witnessing the horrible bloodiness of the American Civil war, Edward was determined to save as many lives as possible. It didn't matter the side or the culture. If major war broke out again, Edward was determined to step in and help the wounded. It was the least he could do now that he was a walking sin that uses others to live; that has ripped millions of lives away from the Earth. Edward may have not fired the gun, but he was the one who gave it to Nicholas and taught him, in theory, how to shoot it._

_Edward would return to Europe. Go back and learn as much as possible about the medical sciences and try and see if he could tie that into alchemy. _

_He was tired of being a killer._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Hermione slunk into the alchemy classroom with heavy feet and annoyance on Saturday at seven. The punishment has only been going on for a few weeks and already she was tired of it. When Elric wasn't in the room, Malfoy scorned her lightly under his breath and it absolutely infuriated her. How could anyone stand that no-good cruel and downright _unpleasant_ Slytherin? Every time she walked away from a tutoring session, she had been up to her neck in bubbling anger. She absolutely and positively _hated _it!

Slipping into one of the front desks, she took out her Periodic table and alchemy notes. She still hadn't been able to take the test do to the…_issue_ that Elric had last time. Speaking of issues…

Malfoy flaunted into the room. Seeing as how Elric wasn't present, he openly scowled at her and sat down into the desk next to her in anger. He didn't even look her way after that; preferably taking out his table and notes like her to study.

Hermione glanced at Malfoy from the corner of her eye. She still couldn't believe how someone as self-absorbed and cruel as Malfoy could understand the riddle. Biting back a sigh, she continued to study until the classroom door opened up with a creak and Elric strode on in.

"Ya know, you don't have to wait on my account." He said cheekily.

Upon glancing at the time, Hermione realized that it was 7:09. Groaning internally, she turned towards Malfoy, ready to get this over with.

As always, they went over the notes together in monotone. Too afraid to make rude comments against each other, as they figured out the first tutoring session how…_overbearing_ Elric could be, they bounced easy questions and answers that came right out of the notes off each other. Once that was completed, they worked on the table. Not once complaining, not once looking at each other at all.

Edward stared at the two opposite students. This…this wasn't working. Like the riddle assignment, both students just didn't understand what importance this was. They couldn't see each other past the stupid house rivalry and what was shown on the surface. Edward knew where the problems resided and without those problems, he knew that Hermione and Malfoy could become careful friends without too much difficulty. The only issues in the way were Hermione's tendency to follow others and not make decisions for herself and, of course, Malfoy's entire upbringing. In a way, though, they shared similar problems; both of them didn't really think for themselves. And Edward was determined to change that.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, would both of you come here?" Edward asked the two opposing students.

The two students sent each other angry glares at one another, blaming one another with their eyes. Really, this was getting ridiculous. How could they hate one another based on such petty reasons? Both of them stood before him, curious but on guard. They could tell something was going to be added to their 'punishment', though, at this point, Edward didn't see this exercise as a punishment but as a way to help both students overcome their issues that will benefit them in their futures. Edward grinned slightly; he _knew _for a fact that neither student will like what'll add and it's bound to be both hilarious and sad when he sees their reaction.

"This punishment isn't working. Neither of you are understanding exactly _why_ I put both of you into this exercise. So, though you will still be helping each other study, I also want both of you to actually _look_ at one another and_ talk_ to each other like normal human beings." Edward ordered. Immediately both students, if possible, looked even more disgusted and started arguing with him. Well, trying to argue, at any rate.

"There is no way that is happening!"

'Professor, there is no point."

"I'm here because I called her a _mudblood_. Isn't that the point?"

"There is no real reason for us to talk. We are here to study, not to be friends…!"

"SHUSH!"

Both students flinched back at the sudden harshness and loudness of Edward's tone. Both of them stared at him imploringly as he gave a heavy, tired sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Glancing between the students, he asked, "Do either of you know anything about each other besides that you're in Gryffindor and Slytherin?"

"She likes books."

"He comes from a pureblood family."

Edward shook his head in exasperation. "Besides the obvious?"

Both students found sudden interest at either the floor or their feet; their eyes never wavered once they dropped down.

"You don't have to tell your life story to one another, but what about the simple things? Such as favorite color? Favorite animal? Places you've been or would like to go? Hobbies? Both of you are _human_ so both of you have these sorts of likes and wants. Ignore that your Gryffindor and Slytherin. Ignore bloodline and families. Talk to each other like you would any other human being." Edward ranted.

Both students looked up at him, shy and unsure. Edward glanced at the clock. Noticing how there was only ten minutes left of their punishment, he sighed.

"Since there are only ten minutes left, this change won't happen today. However, next time I want more interaction between the two of you. Now, I want to talk to each of you alone before both of you depart. Hermione, sit outside and wait. After Mr. Malfoy leaves, I want to have a discussion with you." Edward said, gesturing for Hermione to leave. Turning swiftly on her heel, the bushy-haired girl left, closing the door firmly behind her.

Malfoy stared at Edward, nervous, yet suspicious.

"Malfoy, Malfoy. What am I going to do with you?" Edward grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck in unease. Malfoy, wisely, didn't answer his rhetorical question.

Staring at Malfoy's silvery orbs, Edward knew how he could get through to Malfoy. Malfoy might act like a tough play-ground bully, but the truth was there was a reason for him to be a bully. There always was. And considering how well-liked he was around other Slytherins, the problem had to reside at his home. Upbringing was the main reason for sure, but there had to be more for Malfoy to continuously pick on non-purebloods besides that. There had to be.

Edward steeled his honey eyes into a sharp and stinging gold, not letting Malfoy tear his gaze away. "Why do you hate people with non-magic parents? How, exactly, in your words, are they '_dirty?'_"

Malfoy chewed on his lip nervously and gently rocked back and forth on his heels. He, for once, didn't answer right away. He knew if he just threw up the answer that was automatically on his tongue, Elric would make him pay. This left him no other option but to think, _really think_ on why he hated muggle-borns.

Malfoy found the answer quickly. The true answer _was_ the automatic answer, in a way. "Because-because that's what my father says."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "So, you just regurgitate what your father says? Your just a parrot, copying what others say?"

Malfoy instantly bristled with anger and offense. "No!"

Edward smirked at him. "Oh? That's definitely what it sounds like though. You just follow daddy around; clinging to him desperately."

"I'm not desperate! I can think for myself!" Malfoy retorted in anger.

Edward softened immediately. "I know you can. You're in my class. The issue is that you do what your parents tell you, which is a good thing, considering your situation. But you need to draw the line somewhere. You _are_ allowed to have your own ideals and beliefs. Don't let yourself be dragged down by old beliefs and the older generation. The world is moving on, Malfoy. Wizards are so behind the times, but I guess this is the Wizarding World's way of things for moving on to the future…" Edward finished, no longer talking just about Malfoy's issues near the end of his rant.

"Behind the times?" Malfoy asked, curiosity tinting in his voice and eyes.

"In a way, this issue has happened countless times before. In fact, this a major issue that even has a name. It's called racism, Mr. Malfoy."

"Racism? I-I don't understand, professor." Malfoy said lamely.

Edward gave Malfoy a bittersweet smile. "I know you don't. But you'll eventually figure it out. You have a decent amount of intelligence. Maybe you can find someone who can answer that question you have." With that being said, Edward dismissed Malfoy in the room.

Malfoy left in confusion and slight fear. He still didn't know what 'Racism' means. As Malfoy walked to the dungeons to his common room, he couldn't help but feel a fire deep within his heart that burned for proving himself to Elric, Malfoy _will_ figure out what 'Racism' means. He had been challenged and, for once, Malfoy took up this challenge with determination and a thirst to prove himself. It was only a matter of time.

Meanwhile, Hermione walked into the classroom, swinging the door close behind her. Turning, she stood before Elric's desk, awaiting his lecture. Yet, at the same time, she had questions burning at the back of her throat. Questions she wanted answered.

Elric stared at her with hard, unmovable, molten eyes. Hermione swallowed thickly and shifted her weight between both her legs. It was impossible to be pinned under that stare and _not _be intimidated. Absolutely impossible.

Edward sighed, once again, as he stared at Hermione. Sweet and caring Hermione that was full of hatred for a young boy she didn't know.

"Miss Granger, why do you hate Malfoy so much?" He asked.

She immediately went for the obvious answer. "He's a bully and a Slytherin. He's done nothing but try to hurt other people with words."

Edward smiled bitterly at her words. He could tell that she was intimidated by his presence, but not as much as Malfoy was, making her answers less thought out.

"You're an intelligent girl, Miss Granger, but you can't read people very well, can you?" Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but Edward held up a hand, effectively silencing her. "Have you ever questioned _why_ Mr. Malfoy bullies others? It is part of his upbringing, that's for sure, but you can't blame him for that. Yet, I believe there is another problem that lies within that one. Want to know what it is?" He asked, knowing Hermione was too nosy to say no.

Hermione bit her lip, irritated. Of _course _she wanted to know! Though she knew what the professor was saying was sensible, she could feel a childish want to dismiss his words and continue hating the blond. Yet, staring into his eyes, she knew that she couldn't turn away like that.

"…Yes, sir, I-I do sorta want to know…" she answered, uncertainly. Edward's eyes lifted a bit and he looked slightly happier.

"My theory is that Malfoy is afraid of angering his parents. So, he follows in their footsteps exactly, reminding himself on why he does this often to reinforce his fear." Edward answered.

Hermione looked at him, winded, guilty, and confused. She had never thought of it that way before and now she felt utterly _shallow_. It disgusted her. At the same time, however, she wondered why he was telling her all this.

"why-why are you sharing this with me, Professor?" She asked him.

Edward smiled at her. "Because, I believe that you can change him permanently. I've tried, you see, but I can only show him the way. He needs someone to take his hand and guide him across the river."

Hermione was shocked at his metaphor and expectations. "Sir…!"

"I know you can do it, Hermione." He answered.

Hermione looked at him, surprised. "You called me by my first name." she said.

Edward looked at her sheepishly. "Slip of the tongue. Wait." He said, stopping her before she could make comment. "How 'bout we have an equivalent exchange. I'll call you Hermione and you can call me Edward. Or Ed. Whichever you prefer, as long as we're alone." He stated.

Hermione looked at him in surprise. There was on odd sort of look on Elric's face. She couldn't place the emotion, but it almost looked…grateful? Despite this, Hermione gave him a small smile. "It's a deal, _Ed_. But, I have to ask, why?"

Ed just gave her a slightly mysterious smile. "I see promise in you, Hermione. Something that makes me have some more faith in not only wizards, but also humanity." With that being said, Ed dismissed Hermione with a wave of his hand.

As Hermione walked down the corridor to the Gryffindor common room, she couldn't help but feel frustrated that she was unable to ask her burning questions, yet, at the same time, wonder why Ed spoke of humanity like he himself wasn't human.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward fingered the bottle of Aspirin hidden inside his coat pocket. Sadly, today's class would harbor the infamous Weasley twins. Everyone, including staff and students, had told-no, _warned _him about the trouble they caused. He thought they were exaggerating, of course, until his very first alchemy class where they kept randomly interrupting his lecture, made silly faces at his back, (He caught them via window reflection) and tried to make him call them 'Gred' and 'Forge' respectively. A childish part of him found the two twins to be terribly amusing as well as refreshing from all the other students he had dealt with so far. A much stronger, more prominent part of him found them to be irritating and desperately wanted to put them in their place.

So, Edward found a perfect way to both show up the twins while, at the same time, stayed true to his former Teacher's teachings. Now that he had the stone, he physically _never changed_. So, he couldn't gain or lose any sort of weight or muscle ratio. Though he did make sure he could still fight decently, there was no reason for him to train his body as hard as he did when he was younger and human. Even though he wasn't training himself as hard, he still wanted to stick as close to Teacher's teachings. Therefore, easily graining permission from Dumbles, he was able to create a physical training routine for his classes to follow. Half the class would be spent inside doing work while the other half of the class would be dedicated to exercise. Though Dumbles did reject many of his initial routine, they were able to eventually able to come to a (reluctant) agreement.

Watching his fourth year class come in and sit down, Edward automatically narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the way his students talked amble with one another as well as the lack of the two trouble makers. Staring around the room, he quieted everyone's chatter with his golden stare, all, that is, except for some very quiet giggling coming beneath the desk that George usually sat in. Groaning internally, he felt lifting and light laughter coming from some of the more humorous souls inside him. Walking stealthly to the desk, he rapped his flesh knuckles against the desk loudly, causing someone to "_oomph!"_ as they hit their head as well as some angry whispering. A few seconds later, both twins popped out from under the desk, matching grins of mischief painted perfectly on their identical faces.

Edward rolled his eyes at the two. Shoving his childish personality to the back of his head, along with the louder laughter coming from the souls, Edward asked the standard million dollar question, albeit not as nice or fancy as some professors asked. "Weasleys. What the hell are you two doing under your desk?"

As always, the twins gave each other laughing glances and even let a few giggles escaped from their throats. For whatever reason that Edward couldn't fathom, both Weasley's found it absolutely hilarious when he cursed, which was, unsurprisingly often. A few hundred years did nothing to curb Edward's colorful vocabulary.

"Nothing, professor. Nothing at all." Fred responded, the grin never leaving his face.

"Check underneath if you don't believe us." George taunted.

Edward raised an eyebrow at the twins. He was sure that the twins did _something_ but he didn't know what. Giving himself a mental reminder to check the desk after the class was over, he barked, "No time. Now sit down and work on your circles if you've completed the test." The last part, being directed at the entire class, made everyone groan. Since everyone in the class passed the test, everyone was working on drawing perfect circles.

Edward could still remember how flabbergasted he was when he realized that nobody in the Wizarding World could draw perfect circles. He had hoped that had been changed since the last time he was active in the magical community, but obviously not.

As suspected though, the class was equally flabbergasted when they saw he could draw perfect circles without even glancing at the board. Edward could still remember their whispers of "That's not normal," "Who the heck IS this guy?," and, of course, from the wizards with non-magic parents, "I heard that only _mad _people can draw perfect circles!"

As always, Edward found the reaction completely hilarious and totally sad. Then, he assigned everyone homework of practicing their circles. He would give them till the start of November to practice. Then, they will take a test of drawing twenty perfect circles for him in a row. Less than twenty and the student fails and has to retake the test later.

When the class was roughly half-over, Edward called everyone to attention before leading everyone out to the grounds. The student's eyes grew wide when they saw the complicated looking obstacle course set up next to the Quidditch field. The entire thing was crafted out of the same rock from the ground and even looked as if it was _part_ of the ground. Edward herded them into a large, chattering group before standing in front of them all, staring at them with stern eyes.

"Unlike your other classes, Alchemy has a physical portion of the curriculum. For now on, every class, half the class will be spent inside learning about alchemy while the other half of our time will be spent out here. You will run this obstacle course at least five times. When you finish, you may head inside to wash up and rest. If you do not finish…" Edward shrugged at the shocked students, telling them with body language that they simply wouldn't be able to go inside early.

As soon as Edward finished speaking, there was a torrent of anger and questions directed at him.

"Why do we have to do this?"

"What does this have to do with Alchemy?"

"Is this even legal at school?"

"This is _Hogwarts_! Not some muggle school!"

"This is dumb!"

And etcetera and etcetera and etcetera…

Finally, Edward had enough. As always, it seemed.

"SHUT IT!"

Talking died down immediately. Rubbing his temples in a soothing fashion, Edward took out his pocketed Aspirin and swallowed two of the pills, wishing that the effects would come faster. Pocketing the bottle, he glared at the students whom were used to the professor taking the muggle medicine.

"I am teaching you in a way I was taught. Minus the knives, island, and physical abuse, sadly."

Students gave each other uneasy looks. They heard how Elric was taught alchemy, and frankly, they were _very_ grateful that it was illegal to be taught how Edward wanted to teach.

"As my Teacher always said, 'To train the mind, you must first train the body.' Which means physical exercise. Now, Dumbledore made this course much simpler than I had originally planned." Edward looked at the students, slight disappointment reflected in his ageless eyes.

The class looked at the course. Some, like the Weasley twins, looked amused, believing the course to be easy. Most students, however, looked a bit sick and irritated.

The course was a bit lengthy, starting with a large pool of water with a number of tall pillars that students had to hop to and from to get to the other side. After that, a short sprint that led to a tall rock climbing wall that looked like it was taken from the side of a mountain itself. From there, students had to use a tough, painful looking rope to swing down and run through a large pit of sand. From there, students had to dodge small balls of mud that were being tossed from side to side using some sort of magic. Afterwords, there was more running up a stair case that would randomly, at certain places, become a ramp and cause one to tumble down. Finally, there was another sprint but this time, random hurdles would pop from the ground that students had to jump over.

Overall, the obstacle course looked like some form of evil, twisted hell.

Edward's smile became absolutely twisted and evil upon seeing the students' faces.

"Any questions? No? Then get moving!" He shouted. Not leaving room for any questions, Edward herded the poor fourth years to the obstacle course. The students, seeing as how they had no choice, started to run this thing, silently sobbing inside.

After the many sobs, bruising, and falls from the students; along with the several hundred shouts of "Stop splashing each other! Stop throwing mud! No tripping! No pushing! I don't care if you have rope burn, get moving!" From Edward, (Unsurprisgly, most of these shouts were directed to the Weasley twins.) the entire class headed on inside, rubbing their sore and battered bodies in pain, though they weren't the only ones.

Unnoticed by the students he was leaving, Edward rubbed his shoulder port as a slight, cold wind hit him on his right side, causing a nasty tingly feeling. _Damn. It's already that time of year again…? _ He asked himself, annoyed at the cruel mistress that was Mother Nature.

Dismissing the entire class once they got back, (Not one student was even able to complete three runs of the course! Even after replacing the original spikes with water, rocks with mud, and adding the rope!) Edward was left with the rest of the day himself. He was only able to rest for a few minutes before a young soul reminded him to check underneath the desk. Grumbling as he climbed to his feet, Edward went and bent down to look under the desk, only to get something wet and sticky shot into his face.

Snarling in anger, Edward rubbed at his face angrily. Though he knew it was most likely harmless, Edward didn't know what the orange slime that was splashed into his face by a giggly flower _was_. Not only that, but the slime tasted like feet and was drenching his tounge. Gagging, Edward stumbled to his desk. Grabbing a cup of left over water from lunch, he swallowed the cooling, healing liquid down, wanting the slime out of his throat.

Growling, Edward cursed to the empty classroom, chocking on his words slightly. "Those Weasley twins are going to get it, mark my words!"

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Hehehe...wow. Two days! I should'a had this out yesterday, but my friend wouldn't let me type!**

**I am a very lucky person. I pretty much have no homework. Well, except 'Flipped Classroom' crap. God I hate that stuff! Oh, and a paper about Obamacare, but really? I can do that later.**

**This was going to be a LOT longer. I was going to squeeze in some humor about Halloween and the first basilisk attack, but considering the feeling of impatience I got from y'all, I went ahead and posted. This chapter may seem like filler, but its not. this chapter establishes some important shizz that will be apparent later. Besides that, the only problem I had with this chapter was me struggling to keep the characters from saying "Y'all" XD**

**Also, before I forget, I will now be posting on my profile how far I am on the next chapter by how many words it is. Keep in mind I will never post a chapter that's, by itself, shorter than 2,500 words.**

**OK! question answer time!**

**Guest: I have no problem with you writing a fic with the singing detention! The only thing I ask of you is to send me a link when you published it. I wanna read it!**

**Guest: Ehehe, the way you worded it sounded like a question...*clears throat* anyways! I play the Bb Clarinet in band. As for the Human Transformation, you have to remember that Human Transformation, in its simplest definition, is transmutation on humans. Plus, this follows the 2003 anime, where there is little to no reference to Alkahestory(did I spell that right?) And though Ed IS a genius, he doesn't know everything about all the forms of alchemy. Considering what happened in the 2003 anime, cleaning a wound would still fall under Human transmutation for him.**

**Guest: I kinda hinted at it, but to clear up confusion, your right Ed is not 'technically' drunk. But because he _believes _he can get drunk, he acts like it. Psychological, ya know? Plus, because his mind is over stricken by grief and memories, he's not right in the head anyways.**

**Whelp! That's it! God this A/N was long!**

**As always, thanks for reading and, of course, please review!**


	10. Writings of Blood

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own either Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward wiped his hands off on his brown trousers, looking at his handiwork with a pleased gleam in his eye. He just added the three lost souls' gravestones to his personal graveyard. The graves were simple enough, like the surrounding hundred that lay around with no rhyme or reason. Each of them had a name carved on them;_

_Marguerite Tristram_

_Albertus Cromer_

_Michael Dytel_

_Edward closed his eyes, remembering the three lost one's life stories. Marguerite was a French woman that took care of poor, starving children at the church. She had some medical knowledge and helped take care of the sick. Sadly, this lead to her catching the Bubonic Plague and left her dying. She was suffering terribly when she was absorbed into the stone. He could remember her screams in the beginning, begging for the non-existent God to come and save her. She was saved from her confusion and terror, but not by God._

_Albertus was an aging man. Having hitting the old age of twenty nine, he lived off the streets most his life in a small town. He stole from others to feed himself. He had always been a selfish man, even after decades in the stone. Unlike most others, though, Albertus was completely healthy when he was absorbed. Unlike the other dying, Edward had truly ripped his life away._

_Unlike the other two, Michael was a knight for a feudalistic home out in an area that would now be called 'Germany.' He had fought bravely for his Landlord to keep his home as well as protected the peasants so they could grow food for everyone. Michael had slaughtered many bandits, other knights, and even people who looked remotely suspicious. Michael had been dying when he was absorbed, but not by the plague; He had been stabbed brutally in the stomach with a rusty dagger by a pair of sneaky thieves. Unlike many of the souls, Michael did not cry out or screamed. His mind was still awash in pain at that point and he didn't care much for the others around him at the moment. _

_Giving the graves one last glance, Edward turned and headed inside to his 'home.' He would grieve and think about the lives inside of him as well as converse with the other souls inside him like he often did. Then, he would pack up and head for the nearest town, scouting any sort of conflict out so he could begin the new chapter of his life saving people._

_Leaning back in the hard wooden chair at his small kitchen table, Edward wondered about the future and where he would eventually end up in the end._

~~0~~0~~0~~

The past few weeks flew by Edward faster than he thought. Most his students had passed the Periodic Table test with different amounts of difficulty. Students that simply couldn't remember ended up dropping out of his class due to their own frustration and his lack to help them. He didn't understand when students asked him for help when it came to memorizing. How could he help his students remember some measly elements? What is it that they wanted him to do? Sometimes, kids really confused him.

Besides that, roughly fifty percent of his class could now draw perfect circles _half_ the time, albeit very slowly and much concentration. He couldn't understand the problem there either. It was just a simple shape. As long as you kept your hand steady, it was easy. Despite his worry, Edward could easily see a pattern here. Fifty years ago, his students also had issues with memorizing and drawing. It seemed as if the past was doomed to repeat itself. What a pity.

Making his way down the sunlit hallways, he happened to pass the Great Hall, where Hagrid seemed to be dragging what appeared to be massive carved pumpkins.

"Hagrid? What are you doing?" Edward asked, looking at the much larger and hairier man in confusion. The pumpkins definitely reminded him of something but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why.

"Huh? Oh, hi Edward! Nice to see ye out 'ov your room fer once!" Hagrid replied jovially, continuing to drag the massive pumpkin inside, not bothered at all by its weight from the looks of it.

Edward smiled at the man. He had a certain kindness and odd innocence around him, making it hard not to like the bushy haired man. "Got a bit tired of being stuck in that stuffy room. Wanted to come out, relax, and enjoy the sun before both winter and brats steal it away."

Hagrid chuckled at his cheekiness. "Ah, understandable I 'pose. Some 'o the kids can be quite mean, ya know?" Hagrid glanced over at the Slytherin table while he said this. It was quite obvious which house Hagrid didn't like.

Actually, now that he thought about it, it was easy to tell which professors favored which houses. Though some like Minerva and him didn't favor a house, it seemed that professors that didn't lead any house per say favored the Gryffindor house. Though Edward did like some of their enthusiasm, the house of the brave could be downright unpleasant, being completely unserious and lazy. _A lion really does fit them…_ Edward couldn't help but think.

"Some of them. Matters on the kid." Edward replied, giving Hagrid a slightly harsh glare. It was completely ridiculous how kids and professors judged others based on what house they belonged in! Completely stupid. _As long as I'm here, might as well try to change that… _Edward thought, quickly forming a side long term goal for himself while he was at Hogwarts. Though making all the houses at least be _mildly friendly _would be about as hard as taking care of his automail, he was confident he could succeed.

Speaking of automail, Edward needed another tune up. Well, he needed a tune up for a few decades now. Though Edward rarely found a need to fight with it anymore, it was still a bit scratched up with some small dents. Not only that but now that the colder months were setting in, he needed a heat spell and extra clothing to keep him from freezing; the fire places inside Hogwarts did little for people sensitive to heat like himself. Ever since he appeared here on this side of the Gate; where automail didn't exist, he had to be horrendously careful with it. Though it took trial and error and Edward _still_ didn't understand eighty percent of what made his arm, he did figure out which wires were the most important, where he had to transmute it to make it proportional when his body was still growing, and how to replace rusty pieces. Sure, it was difficult and his arm was weaker than what it was before, but there was nothing he could do. Once he lost his arm that was it. End of the line. There was no way to replace the automail arm and no way for him to safely remove the port on his shoulder to allow for other prosthetics. Like a real arm, once his automail was gone, it was gone. The same applied to his leg, though that had been much easier to take care of throughout the years.

Sighing, he looked back at Hagrid, who was back at trying to get the gargantuan pumpkins into the Great Hall.

"Soo…what's the pumpkins for anyways, Hagrid?" Edward asked. The answer was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite place it.

"I know yer from a differen' country 'n all by yer accent, bu' how could ye not heard of Hallo'een?" Hagrid asked in shock.

"Oh yeah, Halloween. Um, which holiday is that? The one where people light those candle thingies right?" Edward asked, looking completely confused. In Amestris, there were little holidays people celebrated and most holidays mattered on which part of the country one was in. Yet, even then Edward didn't celebrate holidays; he was much too busy doing other, much more important things at the time. Despite all the change he had been through, Edward still didn't celebrate or even remember holidays, for that matter. He was still too busy and he really didn't see the point in celebrating for no real reason.

Hagrid looked at him, completely confused. "Candle thing'? No. Um it's…ye know. Children dressin' up? Candy? Bats 'n jack-o-lanterns?"

"Oh yeah! Pagan holiday! Kinda started by the Gaels. All Hallow's Eve!" Edward stated with pride. Hangrid, meanwhile, was completely lost on what the golden eyed professor had said. Though, he seemed to get it now, which was all Hagrid was aiming for anyways.

"I guess…" Hagrid mumbled in response. Edward just nodded his head, mumbling something about the holiday in a different language that Hagrid didn't understand.

Glancing at the pumpkins, Edward asked, "Do you need any help there, Hagrid? My class is already over for the day and I got nothing better to do…"

"I don' know, Edward. Sure ye can carry somthin' this heavy?" Hagrid asked, giving the much smaller blond a look-over. Though it was obvious the young man was in shape, he was still slightly short and thin for his age. Wouldn't he have problems with something so heavy…?

"I'm _sure_ I can handle it." Edward practically growled; a steely and cold look coming to his eyes that caused nervous shivers down Hagrid's back. Nodding to the blond, Hagrid gave Edward the stem of the pumpkin he was dragging.

"Go put it o'er there." Hagrid directed him with a point of his fingers. Eyeing the area next to the Ravenclaw table, Edward didn't even notice Hagrid leave to fetch another massive pumpkin. Taking the stem by his gloved hands, Edward started to drag the pumpkin to the proper area, albeit much slower than Hagrid with much more beading sweat.

When Edward finally got the large pumpkin placed where Hagrid wanted him, Edward's left arm was trembling slightly at the weight while his right shoulder had minor phantom pains shooting through him and his right collar bone was achy. Rubbing the side of his neck to get the crinks out, Edward noticed with minor jealousy that Hagrid had already brought a second pumpkin inside and was now dragging a third. Edward let a small angry hiss out. Damn his never changing body!

"Ye done, Edward?" Hagrid called to him.

Edward let out a small snarl. "No, I can still help! Oh, also, call me Ed. Sounds less formal." Edward called out, not missing a beat.

Hagrid's face broke out into a large and sloppy smile that was barely visible underneath his shaggy beard. "If ye say so. There's 'o couple more ou' there. Go grab one 'other. I got the rest." Hagrid replied, slight worry on his features. He could clearly see the sweat glistening off Ed's brow, but didn't say anything. The mixture of steely coldness and fiery rage in the blonde's golden eyes stopped Hagrid's tongue. For such a small guy, Ed sure was scary!

A large, determined grin shattered Ed's original expression and he turned and sauntered outside, ready to drag another great pumpkin without fail. He's fought monsters and lived hundreds of lifetimes. Dragging massive pumpkins around should be no big deal.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward flopped into his chair at the head table. His muscles were still tense from earlier that day. Casting a watchful eye over the hall, he saw the large pumpkins that he had helped drag in pushed against the wall. Younger students happily played inside the jack-o-lanterns, squealing gleefully. Meanwhile, live bats fluttered around, sometimes swooping down to lightly bat children playfully with their wings, causing different reactions among different people. Some giggled in joy and tried to reach to catch or pet the bat. Others shrieked in fear, causing the surrounding kids to laugh, point, and mimic in good fun. Black and orange candles floated about, the flames on all of them burning a crimson color that reminded Edward the color of blood. Though Edward was a bit confused about the point of Halloween, it was obvious the rest of the staff as well as the students were having fun. For once, Edward decided to allow his spirits to lift a little. Today was the Halloween _feast_ after all and if there was one thing Edward had an absolute love for in the world, it was food.

Finally, Dumbedore stood before the students, raising his hands high into the air, the student body settled down and looked upon the old man with a gleaming excitement mixed with lustful hunger in their bright eyes.

"I have no real words to say but Happy Hallows eve! Blubber, pick-packer, nougmic, and troil!" At the end of Dumbledore's insane words, platters upon platters upon platters of food appeared. Anything anyone could think of was there. From steak and potatoes to delicious pasta to stew to bowls of salad with all sorts of dressings. As Edward pulled a large bowl of stew in front of him along with some slices of bread and a plate of slightly melted butter, Edward noted that many of the foodstuffs were decorated for Halloween. Fruit punch the color and thickness of blood was there, along with a bowl of what appeared to be eyeballs but were actually chocolate. Not only was there every food imagined, it seemed that many bowls of candy was littered about the tables. Greedy hands reached for the sweetness inside each and every glass container, yet when one ran out of candy, the bowl filled itself up once again, just to be devoured. Over and over and over again.

Edward briefly wondered if it was a good idea to give a bunch of already hyper and lunatic kids a bunch of never-ending sugar, but all thought and rational left Edward as soon as he scooped up a spoonful of wondrous stew in his mouth. Granted, it wasn't as good as his mother had made it, but it was definitely on his top ten list.

Edward devoured bowl after bowl after bowl but he wasn't the only one. Many professors were stuffing their faces full as well. The food was an absolute dream.

Yet, as the night wore on, the professors and even some of the students had stopped eating so savagely and were now only nibbling on some different dishes. Sadly, this allowed Lockheart to actually converse with some of the staff or at least, try to.

While Dunbledore politely talked to the enthusiastic Lockheart, (much to the relief of all the professors) Edward converse lightly with Snape. First, on how potions were similar to alchemy, but that quickly moved to all the tales of terrifying the young students.

"Usually, on the first day of class, I pin point a student not paying attention and see how much they know. It's not much, as you can imagine." Snape told Edward, finishing up the tale of pinning Creevey on the spot earlier this year.

Edward laughed at the story Snape told. Sure, it was kind of mean. But Edward had never been the _nicest_ of people along with Snape and for that reason only, the two men, one blond, and the other black-haired and greasy, started a young but amusing friendship that night. All over the fun it was scarring students.

"-then she just sat there and _cried_. I mean really!" Edward finished, a light laugh escaping the back of his throat.

Snape chuckled in response, shaking his head about the strange story Elric gave that was about how a Ravenclaw called a Slytherin a derogatory slur in Elric's second first year class. Edward, the good professor he was, washed her mouth out with soap right in the middle of class while giving the poor girl a glare so heated that she eventually broke into _tears_. She wasn't sent out of the classroom, however. Instead, Elric forced her to apologize to the poor Slytherin boy and apparently, she dropped out the next day and refused to go within a fifteen foot radius of Elric since. Sure, the story was a bit cruel and maybe Elric _was_ a bit on the mad side, but Snape figured that he could be no madder than Dumbledore, so it was fine. Besides, students shouldn't be using language like _that._

After Snape left to go have a conversation with Sprout, who would appear next to Edward but the king of fools himself; Lockheart?

"Edward! I see your enjoying the feast! The food is pretty good, but let me tell you, I'm _positive _that my homemade macaroni is supreme!" Lockheart cheered, swinging his neon robed orange self into the abandoned seat next to Edward.

_Snape…why did you have to leave me? _Edward thought, closing his eyes lightly as if he were in pain. Whipping out his handy bottle of aspirin, (Edward decided to carry it around with him now) he popped three of the tablets in his mouth. Though half the time the medicine never seemed to work, at least he was _trying_.

Grounding his teeth together, Edward replied very slowly. "Hullo Lockheart." Edward left it at that. He didn't need to say much of anything to get Lockheart to start talking about himself.

"You won't believe how much fan mail I get! I mean really! Bags upon bags I tell you! Though I am a very busy man, I see to answer all my adoring fans. It was lucky Harry was helping me on a particularly bad day, but it's just stacking up again!" Lockheart gloated, not noticing the waves of irritation coming from the alchemy professor.

"I see…" Edward muttered, a grimace plastered onto his face. When Lockheart's voice lulled into silence, Edward figured that giving the ditz a simple and neutral answer was the best. Then, when Lockheart starts to talk again, he would try to block out the voice (which was only successful about twenty percent of the time) so he could figure out an excuse for him to escape.

"I remember this one woman by the name of Bertha. Lovely thing she was. So sweet and caring. Said I had a lovely smile and voice as well as-"

As Lockheart rambled on about all the good qualities he apparently possessed, Edward glanced around frantically to find an excuse he could use that wouldn't make him have to leave the feast early. Seeing no answer anywhere, Edward gave a mental sigh along with the echo of relief from the souls inside him. Though the many women had thought Lockheart was handsome, everyone inside him agreed that he was a complete and total annoying idiot.

"Excuse me, Gilderoy, but I fear that my stomach has had slightly too much to digest. I have to…_abscond_ from this…_accommodation. _I bid you farewell." With that being said, Edward got up and left, snickering childishly to himself at the use of complicated words to trip up the blond dumbass.

Leaving the hall, Edward decided he really didn't want to go back to his class quite yet, so he took to wandering the halls. All was going well until water splashed into his shoes. Looking down, he saw a good amount of water covering the floor lightly, causing the torch light to reflect off it in a mysterious and daunting shade of fiery orange. Turning the corner to look for the source of the strange leak, Edward openly gasped at what he saw.

**THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED**

**ENEMIES**** OF THE HEIR, BEWARE**

The message was written in a too familiar crimson color that was illuminated by the torches that hung along the wall. A slight metallic smell hung in the air; the stench of spilled blood. The water reflected the message on the wall and in this water is where Edward saw poor and pitiful Mrs. Norris hanging where a torch would normally go by her tail. Edward went over to the cat. Though he disliked the caretaker, he felt sorry when he saw his feline. Edward had never let Al get a cat. They were too busy plus didn't have to resources to take care of one. Despite that, however, Al still picked up stray cats and he had always had to tell him to go put the thing back…

Edward let out a snarl, clamping the rush of memories shut. Now was really not the time. Staring at the message, Edward let out another snarl, though it sounded more animal than human. Looking back at the cat, he carefully untied its tail. Glancing around for a second, Edward steadied his raging mind for a second. A flash of red electrical light later, the cat's tail was healed. Cradling the small thing, Edward stared long and hard at Mrs. Norris before looking up at the wall. She was petrified and the message about the camber…

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" Edward screamed in fury.

"Professor!" cried a fearful voice.

Turning around, he was met with three pairs of wide, fearful, yet curious eyes. Edward quickly recognized Hermione and Harry, but only vaguely remembered the red-head standing next to them. Looking at him, he could tell he was related to the bastard twins, but didn't know his name.

"You three! When did you get here? Did you see the attacker? Do you-"

"Professor! We don't know anything! We promise!" Hermione cried. The golden trio stared at the wide-eyed man in alarm. Hermione and Harry could tell that the professor wasn't drunk, which meant that the solid and neutral rock that was Elric was actually _panicking _about something and if that was the case…something _really _must be wrong.

Edward let out another snarl and smashed his automail fist against the castle wall, watching as the stone cracked visibly beneath his fist.

The pre-teens looked on, Harry wincing visibly when he saw the cracks. Despite this, Elric's right fist seemed fine; there was no blood on the strange glove he wore. _That's-that's not normal…_ Harry thought in curiosity and suspicion.

That's when a roar of pounding feel and chattering voices filled the air. The trio and Edward glanced down both ways of the corridor. Students and professors had just turned down either ends, faces bright with the healthy glow of a full belly along with eyes that were ready to lie down and close until dawn.

Yet, those eyes and faces both lost their sleepiness and warmth once they saw the scene that lay before them. The golden trio was standing there next to a furious and fearful Professor Elric, who was cradeling what appeared to be a dead cat. Chattering fell null and whispers of panic seeped into the room. That is, until a young Malfoy pushed himself to the front of the crowd.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next, mudbloods!" He yelled, only noticing the golden trio as his words were said.

As Edward whipped around to give the blond bastard the lecture and punishment of his life, a single cry of anguish came from the mass crowd of students. A single man, Filch, pushed his way through. Upon seeing his precious cat, Mrs. Norris, being carefully held by Edward, he let out another sob.

"My-my cat! Mrs. Norris! Who did this? Was it those three _beasts_ that did this! I'll kill them! They killed my cat! I'll _kill _them!" Filch raged on in a mixture of both fiery anger and horrid sorrow.

Edward gasped some calming breathes, trying to get his own fear and panic on what was happening under control. "Mr. Filch, I _promise _you that Mrs. Norris is _not_ dead. She is petrified. These three-" Edward jerked a thumb at the trio. "Couldn't of petrified your cat. It's impossible."

"No! You're lying! These three brats did it! I know it! I _know _it!" Filch raved on, his eyes wide in panic and chest heaving with the strength of the force he was putting behind his words.

Edward gave Filch the hardest and heated he could muster. "These kids did _not petrify _Mrs. Norris_…_" He stated, letting the unsaid threat linger heavy in the air.

"No! It was you! It was you, you golden eyed _freak of nature_…!" Filch snarled.

"_Argus!"_

At the sound of Dumbledore's voice, the mad caretaker whipped around, not noticing Edward's slight flinch at the man's heart-cutting slur. How spot on the mad man was. How spot on.

Dumbledore marched onto the scene. "Argus, come with me. You too, Edward, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley."

Before Dumbledore could led the five anywhere, Gilderoy stepped in with an eager, wide grin on his face. "Feel free to use my office, headmaster. It's only-"

"Yes, yes. Thank you, Gilderoy." Dumbledore said, interrupting the man.

The student body parted for the excited Lockheart and grave looking Dumbledore and worried looking Elric. Behind the small party, both Professor McGonagall and Snape joined.

As soon as the group made their way into the classroom, Lockheart took up his chance to hurt the sobbing and panicking caretaker.

"It was definetly a curse that killed her. Probably the Transmorgifian Torture. I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her…"

After hearing Lockheart's diagnosis, Filch broke down into dry, heaving sobs, collapsing into a desk chair; unable to hold himself up any longer. Burying his face into his hands, he shook uncontrollably, unable to look at his poor cat.

"She's not dead, dumbass. She's petrified. You fuc-"

"That's enough, Edward. Remember, language." Dumbledore chimed in.

Edward gave Lockheart a stare that could curdle milk.

"I bet _he _did it! He saw what was in my office! He knows I'm-I'm-I'm a squib! He wrote the message on the wall. It's _all is fault…!_" Filch said, jumping into sudden anger with a purple face and widened, dilated eyes.

"They didn't do it. I found her first and they weren't there." Edward stated, barely controlled anger evident in his voice.

"Then _you _did it! With your freaky alchem-ee!" Filch howled, jabbing a finger in Edward's direction.

"I did _not_ paralyze your cat, Filch!" Edward boomed, his voice taking up the entire space in Lockheart's office.

Everyone besides Dumbledore shrunk back at the blonde's voice. Edward was positively livid and was radiating an aura of danger and want for violence.

"Calm yourself, Elric." Snape said from the shadows.

"My _cat_. My poor, poor Mrs. Norris…" Filch weeped. Edward stepped over to the man, laying his cat down in front of him before taking a step back. After counting to ten, the dangerous aura that Edward was radiating dissipated, leaving an empty sorrow and worry behind.

"We will be able to revive her, Argus. Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion be made to revive her." Dumbledore stated, his voice calm, collected, and kind.

"I'll make it! I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Drought in my sleep-" Lockheart babbled. Edward shot a hated glare in his direction just as Snape piped up in annoyance.

"Excuse me. I believe _I _am the potions master at this school." Snape growled, his voice laced with ice.

Dumbledore nodded at Snape.

"It's late and there are classes tomorrow. I think it's best if we all went to bed." Dumbledore said, dismissing everyone.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward snarled to himself as he sat heavily on his bed. His automail had a few extra dents but with a flash on blue light, it was fixed in no time.

Lying down on the bed, Edward could hardly believe it.

The chamber was opened again.

A victim has already been claimed, even if it was a cat.

There were messages of blood being written again.

The past really was doomed to repeat itself, it seems.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Okay, not as long as last chapter, but, then again, this chapter and last were going to be one chapter together. Oh well.**

**On a side note, I finally have this entire story planned out and I've already decided to go ahead and go through all the books! So, yay!**

**On _another_ side note, I finished the FMA manga again for the second time. I forgot how much of a badass Edward was in the end! Ah, lovely manga!**

**Anyways, time for question answering time!**

**Krazyfanfiction1- Um, I stated in the first author's note before the first chapter the timeline this will take place, but I'll repeat it anyways, because, lets be honest, who reads A/N anyways?**

**FMA Follows 2003 anime but DISREGARDS the last few episodes and the movie, Conqueror of Shamballa. (Did I spell that right?) So from there, I guess you can consider this AU. As for how Edward came through the Gate...don't worry, that WILL be explained but at a much later date. **

**And because I changed it so alchemy can bu used, no. souls are not the payment its tectonic energy. Did I mentian that I threw some Manga/Brotherhood stuff into here as well?**

**So, in short, FMA=AU**

**Whelp! That's all, folks! As always, thanks for reading and if you have the time, drop down a review! I love reading what you guys think of the story!**


	11. Quidditch Trouble

**Disclaimer: I don't own. If I did, both HP and FMA would suck a lot more. Oh, and FMA wouldn't be a manga. I can't draw anime!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward looked up at the new house he moved into with a small amount of happiness. Unlike his dirt house in the middle of a forest, Godric's Hollow contained lovely two story wooden houses. With its faded red paint that glistened off its wooden outer shell, plus the black shingles that made up a roof with a brick chimney poking through, Edward's new house had a lovely rustic feel to it, which was definitely a change of pace for the immortal man. _

_Edward strolled from his house, making sure to lock the door behind him. Moving into the Hollow was perhaps a rash decision, but what felt to be a right one, none the less. Edward was very aware with the mixture of non-magic folk and wizards that made up the hamlet, but that was the reason Edward moved into the place. It had been _years_ since he's properly met a wizard and though Edward did frown upon how they acted at times; Edward had sworn to protect everyone he could, which included wizards. So, this was a test; to see if he could get some good relations with some wizards once again. Maybe he could help their society. The way it was moving troubled Edward. Something was going to break, it was only a matter of time._

_As Edward explored his new temporary home, he caught himself next to a sluggish moving river on the outskirts of the Hollow. The river reflected the dying sun in its waters and Edward walked along the bank, enjoying the cool air on his face. The temperature around this time of year was just right. Not too hot, but not too cold._

_As Edward walked further down, he saw a small shape sitting closely to the river. A stick was in its hand and it appeared to be twirling it around in the orange water. As Edward neared, he recognized the shape of a young boy that couldn't be older than ten. Edward was struck on how much this scene reminded of hi and Al when they were little. Every time Al and he got in a fight, Al would run off and sit next to the river. Edward always had to go after him eventually and bring him back home._

No, don't think about. Stop! _Edward thought, closing the door to his memories while putting not only multiple heavy duty locks on it, but sealing the door of memories shut with alchemy. It was too soon. Way too soon to remember. And it probably will always be too soon._

_Instead, Edward called out to the young boy. "Hello?"_

_The boy jolted up and whipped around, staring at Edward with frenzied, panicked eyes. The boy seemed to calm once he realized that Edward was simply standing there, hands deep in his trouser pockets. When the boy glanced up and met his golden eyes with his own shining, yet sad, blue, he relaxed fully, sitting down once again._

"_Hullo, mister." He muttered._

_Edward took a good look at the boy. He wore very strange and ratty clothes that didn't seem to match together. He had relatively short brown hair, bright blue eyes, and somewhat soft features._

_Edward took a few more careful steps before easing himself next to the boy a few feet away, crossing his legs, Edward stared at the river._

"_My names Edwin. What's yours?_

"_I was told not to talk to strangers, Mister Edwin." He replied._

"_But you know my name, so we aren't really strangers then, are we?" Edward countered._

_The boy looked thoughtful. "I guess not. My name is Albus. Albus Dumbledore."_

"_Nice to meet you, Albus. Mind if I join you?" _

"_I guess…" Albus replied, cautious._

_Edward and Albus continued to sit next to the sluggish river, neither moving or making a sound. Once the orange fire disappeared from the water, however, is when Edward asked his question._

"_So, Albus. Why are you sitting here all alone? Won't your parents be worried?" Edward asked._

_Albus scowled. "Doubt it." He muttered. "Besides it was all my brothers fault! He went and-and-" albus growled. "That meanie."_

_Edward smiled sadly. "But he's still your brother and he still cares about you. He's only human and everyone makes mistakes. Even if they don't see it themselves." _

_Albus looked up at him in wonder. "I guess…" With that Albus hopped up to his feet. "I need to go home! It's getting dark!" He cried, as if he was only now noticing the passage of time._

"_I can escort you if you wish." Edward offered._

"_No thank you, Mister Edwin. I can get home." With that being said, Albus turned and started running back towards the Hollow._

"_Oh, and thank you!" Albus cried again, disappearing from view._

_Sighing, Edward turned his eyes back around towards the river, watching the inky darkness glug away, downstream with sorrowful, muted golden eyes._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Ever since Mrs. Norris was found underneath the deadly writing, Edward could not relax. It was happening again! Last time, a child died. This time, Edward was determined to save everyone. No deaths. Not here at a school. No one's life will be cut short this time. Edward was determined, a fiery light in his eyes. He was a doctor; a healer.

At least, that was what he was determined to be. What he _tried_ to be.

Despite this, right now, sitting up at the head table early in the morning didn't make him feel very useful. Even he couldn't reverse petrification. Since the cause petrification was located in the brain, Edward could do nothing. Not only has he never really studied the brain, but the brain was such a complicated and powerful organ that if he failed, which was very likely, a rebound was bound to happen, and unlike healing little wounds; a rebound on the brain would not only kill the human (or cat) he was trying to save, but a soul within himself. He couldn't let anyone die because of his mistakes. That has happened too much already.

Edward groaned into a nice mug of black coffee. Last night the nightmares had been particularly dreadful, causing him to barely get an hour of sleep. Though nightmares often ravaged his mind while sleeping, he had gotten so use to the world behind his closed lids that it didn't wake him anymore. Though, sadly, this often caused him to wake up and feel fatigued, usually some food and coffee healed him right up. Yet, as Edward devoured his third plate of food and fourth mug of coffee, this didn't seem to be working. Edward growled a little. He had gotten up early in the morning; so early, in fact, that there was barely anyone in the Great Hall besides a few Ravenclaws and a couple of other professors that Edward hadn't really talked to.

Despite this, the hall filled quickly once morning rush hour began, but Edward could tell that something was different than before. Many of the Gryffindor students were wearing bright gold and red and they weren't the only ones. Edward was surprised to find that a number of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were also wearing gold and red. Edward was absolutely flabbergasted. Why were other houses wearing Gryffindor colors? Edward didn't understand. Moving his eyes towards the Slytherin table, Edward saw that no Slytherin was wearing gold and red. Actually, they were wearing silver and green; their own colors.

Edward was still looking around the hall in confusion as Snape sat down next to him. The Slytherin head grabbed a plate of scrambled eggs and started nibbling on it.

"Good morning, Professor Elric." Snape greeted.

The alchemy professor nodded his head, his eyes to busy scanning the hall trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Snape smirked. "What's with the confused expression? You've never heard of Quidditch?"

"Quidditch? The game where you kick the ball around into…um…net-things?" Edward asked. He had never been into sports and he had only heard of the really popular ones.

Snape frowned, giving Edward a look as if he was stupid. "No. It's played on broomsticks; Seven players per team. Today is the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin."

Edward vaguely remembered Quidditch from the last time he was at Hogwarts. He'd never attended a game, but glancing at the look in Snape's eyes said it all. Today, he _will_ be going to a game.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Around eleven, Edward and other staff made their way down to the Quidditch field into the staff's special stands. Edward groaned and rubbed his right port. Though today wasn't all that cold, it was horribly muggy outside with a hint of thunder. The wetness in the air caused his port to whine in pain and stiffen up. Edward drew the thick black coat he brought out with him around him even tighter. Today was the only day he hadn't worn his signature look. Instead, he wanted to appear house neutral as well as be a bit warmer. So, instead of wearing his flashy red coat, he optimized for a heavy black one. Now that he was wearing all black, no one could say he had a favorite. Sadly, this seemed to make both Snape and McGonagall irritated; both of them wanted him to choose either Slytherin or Gryffindor respectively.

It didn't take too long before there was a roar of the crowd and the players took off. Meanwhile, Edward was staring at the brooms, trying to see how exactly they flew through the air.

_Well, if it's true that magic is actually some sort of special field that lingers in the air, then maybe that's what keeps the brooms up? Or maybe the gravity is somehow tampered around the brooms, allowing them to fly? But why a broom? I would much rather have a flying car or something. Less dangerous than a broom. Or a plane._

As Edward continued to wonder, not really paying attention to the game, Harry was struggling to get a bludger off his tail. Yet, no matter how Harry flew, the annoying and dangerous thing wouldn't leave him alone. Finally, a time out was called, which stopped Harry's nose from being broken.

Meanwhile, Edward was shaken out of his thoughts by something dripping onto the tip of his nose. Turning his eyes to the cloudy sky, Edward watched as rain started to fall faster and thicker.

"Fuck." Edward cursed under his breath, too quiet for the excitable heads-of-houses on either sides of him to notice. Edward rubbed his shoulder port even more, the device whining in pain at the wetness that hung heavy in the air. Luckily, Edward's thick black coat and equally black gloves protected his automail from getting wet. As Edward looked back towards the game, he watched as Harry was hit _badly _on the arm by what looked like a flying metal ball. As soon as the ball smashed into Harry's arm, the boy lost balance and started careening towards the ground.

It was lucky that Edward was already up and moving as soon as he saw the metal ball smash the arm.

Edward jumped up and over the edge of the stands he was on. Gripping the fabric that covered the stands, Edward heard a ripping noise as he slid down the fabric, ripping it the entire way. Yet, about two thirds the way down, Edward could tell that he wasn't going to make it. Ripping his right automail from the fabric, Edward clapped his hands together and as he crunched onto the ground, he transmuted it. Blue electrical lights filled the entire pitch in dazzling color. Both students who had seen alchemy and students who hadn't gaped in awe at the large transmutation. The lightning raced towards Harry and everyone watched with bated breaths as a large mud hand rose from the ground, catching the fallen boy perfectly within its dirty grip.

Edward pulled his hands off the ground and made his way towards Harry. It was lucky that everyone was too busy staring at the blue light show he created to notice the red lightning race up his right leg he fractured in the fall. Edward's left leg was fine though. It was creaking a bit more and was even more stiff now, but not broken. It was lucky that the ground was muddy enough to cushion his fall.

"Harry! Are you okay?" Edward asked. Clapping his hands together again, he brought down the hand, letting Harry lie down on muddy ground. Looking down at the boy, Edward noticed a very pleased and proud grin stretched across the boy's face. Edward saw Harry's eyes flicker over to the arm that wasn't bent at odd angles. A very small golden ball with a set of wings was gripped tightly in his hand.

"Aha. We've won." Harry gasped before passing out.

"Harry? Harry, stay with me!" Edward gasped. He really didn't want the boy falling into a coma. Though Harry was healthy, the mixture of the wet, mud, and injury could cause Harry to slip into a small, short coma.

"Out of the way! Out of the way! I can fix him!" A familiar voice rang out behind Edward. Whipping around, Edward noticed a gaggle of Gryffindor's around him, most of them from the team. The owner of the voice, however, was the one and only Lockheart.

Lockheart somehow pushed his way through the crowd, standing beside Edward. Edward glared hatefully at him but before he could tell Lockheart to screw off, a weak voice filled the air.

"Oh, no, not you." Harry moaned.

"Doesn't know what he's saying. Don't worry Harry; I'll fix your arm."

"Oh no you won't! He should be sent to the Hospital wing! Whoever is _clicking_ that damn camera will get _punched_." Edward threatened, not missing a beat. His voice was icy and irritated. Not a good combination.

"Don't be silly! I've fixed _thousands_ of arms before!" Lockheart bragged, waving Edward off.

"I-I have to agree with Professor Elric. He really should be sent there. Oh, great capture, Harry. Really spectacular, your best yet-"Wood muttered, his voice dying out at the glare Edward sent.

"Pish posh!" Lockheart cried and before Edward could stop him, Lockheart twirled his wand over Harry's arm. As soon as the spell finished up, Edward could tell something was wrong. The arm went completely slack; as if there weren't any bones in it at all.

'Ah, Yes. Well that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in-"

SMACK!

Lockheart's speech was shattered by a metal fist right in his jaw. Lockheart stared up at angry golden eyes, rubbing his cracked jaw.

Edward snorted at Lockheart. Grabbing Harry, Edward steadied the boy with his flesh arm. The Gryffindor crowd quickly parted. Pale yet amused faces stared at Edward as he and Harry made their way to the Hospital wing. Ron and Hermione followed them, worrying about the missing bones in Harry's arm.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward himself cringed at the raw anger in Madam Pomfrey's voice.

"You should have come straight to me!" she snarled, holding Harry's jelly-arm.

"You will be able to, right?" Harry asked, fear and desperation hinting his voice.

"I'll be able to, but it will be painful. You'll have a rough night ahead of you, Potter…" Madam Pomfrey continued, tossing him some pajamas to wear.

"How can you stick up for Lockheart now, Hermione, eh?" Ron asked.

Before Hermione could retort, Edward butted in. "You stick up for Lockheart, Miss Granger? I thought you were smarter than that."

Hermione glared at Edward in anger. "Everyone can make a mistake. Besides, you shouldn't be talking! You _punched_ another teacher, Edward!"

Ron and Harry gasped at the display of Hermione calling the alchemy professor by his first name. Edward looked slightly muddled but before he could retort, Madam Pomfrey strode back in with a bottle of _Skele-Gro_ clutched tightly in her hand.

"Drink up." Madam Pomfrey said, directing Harry's lips to the glass of the concoction. Harry winced visibly at the taste and tried to spit it out but Edward's hand stopped him from doing that, forcing him to swallow the bitter liquid.

Madam Pomfrey strode away, muttering dangerously under her breath about stupid sports and inept teachers

"At least we won." Ron said, smiling weakly. Elric and Hermione were still glaring daggers at one another, ready to duke it out using words.

Hermione glanced at Harry. "One second." With that, she grabbed Elric's left arm and dragged him out into the hallway. Ron and Harry watched on, not entirely sure who they should be more scared for; Hermione or Elric.

Outside the Hospital wing, Hermione dropped Edward's arm and glared up at him. Though Edward wasn't the tallest of teachers out there, he still beat her by a good number of inches.

"How did you do it?" Hermione demanded, defiance in her brown eyes.

Edward stared back with his golden orbs, annoyance shining brightly. "You're going to have to be more specific. Besides, I said you could call me Ed when _no one is around._" He growled, putting emphasis on his last words.

Hermione snorted. "It's only Harry and Ron. Besides, you call Harry by his first name too."

"I do not!"

"Yes you do!"

Edward thought back and with a jolt, he realized it was true. Shaking his head and giving himself a mental reminder that he should call Harry 'Mr. Potter' from now on, he rebutted, "Just a slip of the tongue."

Hermione gave another snort of disbelief and continued. "Besides that, how did you transmute without a circle? You've done it twice now, so how did you do it?"

"Twice?"

"You were drunk the first time, remember?"

Edward thought back, hard and he was able to vaguely recall turning water into…blood? No, wine. Red wine.

"Oh yeah…" He muttered, awkwardly.

"So, how'd you do it?" Hermione asked, excitement evident in her voice.

"It can't be taught." Edward murmured. "And I can't tell you how I do it; you have to figure that out." He continued hastily. Sure, that was a half-lie. Edward knew exactly how he transmuted with his hands but if he gave Hermione that theory, she would try it and figure out she couldn't do it and come back with even more questions. It was best to lie and stop her now to stem off her questions.

Hermione huffed in annoyance. "Fine. But I'll figure it out eventually! Just you watch." With that being said, she turned away and went back into the Hospital wing.

"I hope you don't, Hermione, for your own sake." Edward murmured after Hermione left. Bowing his head, Edward made his way to his classroom. He just wanted to be alone right now.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Meanwhile, the golden trio was discussing the Polyjuice Potion.

"Why can't you just trick Malfoy to tell you tonight?" Ron asked.

Hermione made a face. "Impossible. Malfoy would never tell me and Edward is always in the room. It's impossible."

Once again, Ron's eyes bugged out of his head at Hermione's use at the use of his first name. "You-you called him by his first name _again_."

Hermione shrugged. "It's kinda weird, but that's what he asked me. I could call him by his first name if he could call me by my first name. 'Equivalent Exchange,' he said."

"That's still weird. I've never heard a teacher do that before." Harry added.

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "Wait. He didn't make the exchange with you? Then why does he call you by your first name?"

Harry stared at Hermione in shock but before he could say anything, the rest of the Gryffindor team barged in.

"Unbelievable flying, Harry." Said George. "I've just seem Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn't seem too happy."

"And Elric was pretty amazing too. Didn't know Alchemy could be used like that! And did you see Lockheart? I'm surprised he's not in here. Must be embarrassed." Fred pitched in.

The team had brought plenty of cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin juice; gathering around Harry's bed for a promising party. The twins were even planning on going and kidnapping Elric to join but before they could go anywhere, Madam Pomfrey came back, muttering about violent blonde's. That's when she saw the party.

"This boy needs rest, he's got thirty-three bones to regrow. Out! OUT!"

We'll talk later, Harry. Hermione whispered.

With that, Harry was left alone in bed, pain stabbing through his boneless arm.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward stared down at the young boy in distress. His hands were in fists to tight; his nails on his left hand were drawing a few drops of blood, only to be healed. Over and over and over again.

Yet, Edward stared on at the young first year lying in bed, face twisted up in pain. His hands were frozen like he had been clutching something desperately over his face. Edward glanced over at the broken camera that lay besides the equally broken boy. He had been the one Edward threatened to punch when Harry got hurt. He was one more person that Edward couldn't save.

_At least he had his camera. At least he is not dead ._Edward thought rationally. _Yet, yet he is still a victim. I couldn't save anyone before and now it seems I can't save anyone still._ Edward continued to think, his thoughts taking a much darker turn.

Carefully Edward slipped his hand through the boy's dirty-blond mop on his head, straightening his hair.

The boy didn't move.

No, not just _boy_. The child had a name. An important name that all his loved ones cooed to him.

_Colin Creevey._

And yet, and yet, and yet Edward still stood above poor broken Colin. Staring down at the boy who gave no indication of life besides very faint breathes that were inhaled and exhaled through his nostrils. Nostrils that were measured for getting a wand. So he could go to Hogwarts, where his parents believed it would be safe. But Hogwarts wasn't safe. Edward was in Hogwarts. And so was the monster. The Basilisk.

_But where the fuck was the monster?_

Edward, curse himself, didn't know. Didn't know where the Chamber of Secrets was located. Didn't know anything. He was supposed to be a genius, but he wasn't. Not really. A genius would be able to save Colin from his predicament. A genius would've found the chamber by now.

Edward was no genius. Just a monster trying his best to go against the flow of the world; trying to _save_ lives instead of take them, but he was a failure at that.

_You're no failure!_

_You've saved thousands…!_

_There was nothing you could do._

_There was no way you could save him._

_You always blame yourself for no reason! You didn't attack the child!_

_You're no monster. You're not an animal; you're a human! Just like us. _All_ of us…!_

And etcetera and etcetera and etcetera…

Edward pushed the soul's voices back; dismissed them so they would go back to unknown whispers In the back of his head.

Edward turned away from the broken child that lay there like a porcelain doll. There was no difference.

But, instead of just resigned sadness, Edward had a mix of emotions within the depthless pools that were his eyes.

He _would_ find the Chamber.

He _would_ stop the monster.

He _would_ find whoever is doing this and _beat_ them within an inch of their life; kid or not.

This time, Edward would not _fail._

He _promised_.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Look! Another update! I love weekends~**

**Well, nothing much to say. I thought this chapter was going to be much shorter, but I was able to squeeze some more stuff in! Hooray! **

**Maybe...Maybe...Maybe...I'll be able to update tomorrow? Ohh, I don't want to jinx it. But maybe. See how my day goes.**

**Oh and of course, yay! We got plot rolling! Hehe, these next few chapters are going to be wild! I think there's only going to be five or six more. Then, I'll edit the entire thing and_ then..._sequel!**

**Ah, question time!**

**Faliara- Hehe, wait and see, wait and see. I have huge plans for this little story~!**


	12. They Found Out

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or HP as usual.**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward groaned as another injured body was dragged in front of him. Staring down at the poor man, Edward quickly dived right in, cleaning out infected wounds and trying to bandage them afterwards. Staring at the poor soldier, Edward was saddened to see that the man was no older than twenty. By the softness of his face, Edward could quickly deduce that the man hadn't wanted to participate in this horrible, horrible war._

_And a horrible war is was. 'The War to End All Wars, the Great war,_

_The World war._

_Edward had though Ishbal was bad back in Amestris, but the war going on here dwarfed that war easily. People were shot dead and buried in mass graves. Soldiers would charge at one another only to be mowed down by bullets until no one remained. Soldiers would return from the trenches thin and malnourished, often only having a dirty rag to stop bleeding from wounds, and many of them sported rotted feet called trench foot._

_Overall, it was the worst war Edward had ever known._

_But, he tried his best, as always._

_He healed the wounded as well as he could, saving as many lives as possible._

_Edward stared up at the sunset, watching crimson and orange bleed out across the sky; as if the heavens themselves were being torn open._

_Edward couldn't help but feel somber as he stared into the night sky, the wounded surrounding him, only waiting till they could walk before diving back into the trenches; to go back into the battlefield to fall by bullets; healing up so that they could die._

_But there was nothing Edward could do about that. All he could hope was that they survived and went back home to loving families._

_That was all the world had right now anyways; hope. Hope for an end to the madness; hope that nothing could get worse_

_Hope that this really was 'The War to End All Wars.'_

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward was not in a good mood.

Not at all.

November hit, hard and cold. Edward was constantly freezing and his automail suffered horribly. The joints became squeaky and hard to move, his ports constantly ached, and all in all, the cold made it difficult to touch others with his hand. Even with the glove on, students and other teachers could feel the abnormal cold when Edward happened by them. Over all, it was a disaster. Plus, Edward still hadn't found a good heating spell.

I'm going to have to ask Flitwick, aren't I? He thought to himself.

Rubbing his shoulder, Edward tightened the heavy clothes around him even more. It was lucky he was able to get some house elves to carry up some thick material for him to transmute. Edward now wore four extra black coats plus a thicker and wool lined version of his flashy red coat on top. Edward also wore about five pairs of pants and three pairs of woolen socks. He even changed his normal combat boots to special boots that kept his feet insolated.

All in all, Edward Elric was very strange and funny looking with all the layers.

It was lucky that most students were too afraid to actually comment on his fashion sense.

Edward growled as he yanked open his dormitory door to his awaiting second year class. It was way too cold for his class to go outside and Edward hadn't come up with a better exercise program for his students.

What a pity. He'll need to figure out something and soon.

As Elric stormed into the class, the second years stared at the teacher in surprise. It was said by some older seventh years that Elric had changed his non-existent sense of style, but they never told them that he now looked like a walking black and red polar bear. It was obvious he was wearing many extra layers just by noticing how odd his body was now; his arms and legs to chunky while his head seemed to shrink. Yet, no one laughed out loud and those who had the feeling of laughing quickly averted their eyes and bit their tongues. The expression Elric wore was frightening; worse than any polar bear could ever hope for.

"Since most of you can draw perfect geometric shapes now, I think it's time for you to learn your first transmutation circle." Elric announced, standing next to the chalkboard that had a simple circle sketched onto it. The circle simply had a triangle and a square; nothing complicated like on the first day they walked into class.

"I want all of you to sketch this out and explain in detail how it can bend wood. You must use the vocabulary I've taught you and explain how the entire process works." Elric stated with narrow and suspicious eyes. "And no copying. I will know if you copy or get help. If you don't understand or if you miscalculate, there will be a rebound." He threatened. The class paled at the word, some like Neville and Hermione noticing the slight tinge of fear and hate in his words. The class went silent until a timid hand rose into the air.

Malfoy raised his hand, his cheeks slightly flushed in embarrassment. Elric looked slightly surprised, but called on the young Slytherin, none the less.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Um, sir. What's a rebound? You say it happens when something goes wrong and such…but what does it really mean?" Malfoy asked, slight confusion written on his face.

Elric cracked a small, unnoticeable smile. "If you miscalculate the equation, get the elements wrong, or simply don't understand, a rebound will happen on the user to make up for the Equivalent Exchange."

"How-how bad is it?" a timid Hufflepuff asked.

Edwards's lips stretched into a painful looking grin that did nothing to calm the worried students. "It matters on what the equation is. Something as basic as this might give you a nasty cut, but nothing more. Other times…" Edward's face and eyes instantly darkened, a strange expression worked its way there to settle; a strange mixture of horror, nostalgia, sorrow, and heartbreak. It was lucky that none of the preteens had true understanding of any of the emotions played out. All they saw was sadness and slight pain. "Other times it can do much, much worse. Some people are killed because the Exchange was too high or the equation so imbalanced. Others are severely disfigured." As Edward finished up, he unconsciously started to rub his right arm with his left hand.

The class paled at this information. None of them had thought Alchemy could get so dangerous.

Seeing their fearful looks, Edward struggled to calm them down. "Don't worry about that. Even seventh years aren't fooling around with such dangerous equations. All the same though…" Edward's eyes became harsh and stern, all traces of sadness and regret gone. "Do not. Under any circumstances, preform Alchemy without me being there. And it has to be me. Not even Dumbledore can supervise you. If I find out any of you preformed Alchemy without my presence…you will be expelled and I will talk to your guardians personally." Edward threatened.

The class fell pale once again, each of them imagining a conversation between their own parents and Elric in fear. Well, all except Harry who was silently laughing at the imagery he got of Elric having a conversation with the Dursley's. Luckily, it wasn't so funny that Harry laughed out loud but he did have to bite the inside of his cheek.

"Now then, no more distractions. Get working." Elric barked.

The entire class groaned as they fell into the task of writing a very boring paper.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward ended up having the same conversation with all his classes; however, his fourth year class ended up taking a much darker tone when the bastard twins asked the question of damnation.

"Is there such thing as 'Dark Alchemy,' Professor?" George asked.

Edward stared at the red head in slight confusion. Dark Alchemy? Really? What's with putting the word 'Dark' in front of everything that they didn't totally understand or was immoral?

Before Edward could answer, however, Fred piped in. "Yeah, like anything forbidden or such?"

Edward groaned and rubbed his temples. He was planning on having this conversation at the end of the year with all his class; albeit different amounts of information. For his younger class, he would simply instruct them to not make gold (not that they'd get as far as metals, but you never know) while his older class would also get the second rule, though much dumbed down then what he has heard and faced, at any rate; do not preform human transmutation or create humans.

"Yes. There are…" Edward debated whether or not the fourth years would be considered a young class. "Two rules every alchemist must follow. One is, do not create gold. The second is, do not preform human transmutation."

"Why are those laws?" A Ravenclaw called out in the back.

Edward sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The first one is easy to tell why. The second…how was he going to phrase it?

"Creating gold will unbalance the economy, which no one wants." Edward bit his lip. "Human transmutation is highly dangerous and rebounds happen often. Human beings are complicated things with complicated equations." Edward summarized. It was also a half lie, but they didn't need to know that. He had to be very careful; he didn't want to give any of the students' ideas.

The class paled at the thought of a rebound. It was only a few minutes ago when Elric had explained that rebounds could cause death.

Fred raised his hand again. "Is that why some people die during a rebound? Because they were preforming human transmutation?" He called out, not waiting to be called on.

"Yes…" Edward trailed off. Shaking his head violently, he barked, once again, "We're getting off topic. Work on your essays."

And as all classes did, they groaned and started writing.

~~0~~0~~0~~

"Hey! Professor Flitwick!" Edward called.

Edward had been looking for the tiny professor all week when he could with little luck. Every time he checked his classroom it was empty and Edward missed him every time he went to a meal. Finally, Edward caught him waddling down the hall.

Flitwick stopped and turned around. Seeing Edward, he beamed. "Oh! Hello Professor Elric. How are you today?"

Edward looked down at Flitwick and smiled. "I'm doing okay I guess. Though, I do have a question for you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Do you know of any, well, heat spells? Like, to keep something warm?" Edward asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Flitwick beamed even more somehow and Edward couldn't help but smile back a little more. He hadn't ever had a real conversation with the man and Edward found his friendliness and happiness a bit contagious.

"Actually, I do know a spell. It's pretty effective, though it does need to be cast at least three times a day to cover the entire day." Flitwick chirped.

Edward beamed at the man. Finally! His ports will be fixed!

"That sounds great! Can you, um, cast it for me?" Edward asked.

Flitwick smiled and casted the spell over the areas Edward directed. Flitwick had some questions about why only one arm and leg needed a heating spell, but Edward easily deflected these questions and the short man didn't ask again. Flitwick wasn't very nosy.

Edward was able to get the incantation and wand movement for the spell afterword's. It wasn't all that hard of a spell, but Edward would still need to practice before he tried it on himself.

Smiling, Edward left for his classroom for lunch, toasty and warm. He had a few ideas on different exercise programs for his students, but he needed to test them out.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Hermione made her way down to her alchemy class once again for her Saturday detention. She was still unsure if Edward could give her a punishment such as this but he was still a teacher. Maybe a hard headed and violent one with no regard for school rules, but a teacher none the less.

"Where are you going, Miss Granger?" A familiar voice asked her.

Turning around, Hermione was face to face with a questioning McGonagall.

"I'm um" Hermione slightly blushed and looked down. It was hard to admit she had detention. Though at this point, it didn't even feel like detention. "I'm going to detention, ma'am." She finished.

McGonagall cocked an eyebrow. "Detention? With who?"

"Ed- I mean Professor Elric."

McGonagall didn't seem to notice her slip up or choose not to comment on it. Instead she asked, "What did you do to get detention with Professor Elric? You're not one to break the school rules, Miss Granger."

Hermione blushed even harder and started kicking the ground slightly with her feet. Steadying her breath, she told the Head about the incident with the Slytherin team and what Edward's punishment has been ever since.

McGonagall looked both furious and annoyed. "That man! He can't give you a punishment like that! Miss Granger, come, we are going to sort this out." She finished in a hiss and started marching down the corridor with purpose in her steps. Hermione followed, slightly uneasy and slightly hopeful. She wanted her Saturdays back.

McGonagall knocked twice on the door before she let herself into the class. Edward was sitting calmly at his desk, reading a thick tomb while scribbling notes into a notebook with a pen. He didn't look up.

"Professor Elric, I need to talk to you about Miss Granger's punishment. You cannot just go around and give out long punishments like this!"

No response.

McGonagall looked slightly more flustered. "Professor Elric? Elric!"

Still, no response.

Hermione couldn't help but crack a tiny smile. Edward was so focused on his work he was blocking the rest of the world out and Hermione couldn't help but respect him a bit more for that.

Finally, McGonagall had had enough. Striding over to the focused teacher, she smoothly took the pen out of his grasp. Though it took a few seconds, Edward noticed his pen was gone. Glancing up, he was met with the furious eyes of McGonagall.

"Er, hello?" He greeted awkwardly.

McGonagall skipped the pleasantries and went right on to confront the Alchemy teacher. "Professor Elric you can't go off and give students yearlong punishments without permission from the proper Head-of-house."

"Oops. Um, so, can I have permission?" Edward asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

McGonagall looked even more irritated.

"No."

"…what if I said please?"

"Elric, now your being completely childish." McGonagall stated.

"Could you leave for a second? If Mr. Malfoy comes by, tell him to wait as well." Edward said to Hermione, dismissing her from the room. The young Gryffindor nodded and left, shutting the door politely behind her.

Edward became completely serious.

"Professor McGonagall, what I'm trying to do is to both diminish hate between not only a Slytherin and a Gryffindor, but get rid of the racism some have."

McGonagall cocked an eyebrow at the complete change tone. "And this will stop hate in an entire school and racism in an entire culture?" She asked dubiously.

"I never said it would be easy. But I have to start somewhere."

McGonagall shook her head. "Easy? Professor Elric, what you're trying to do is impossible."

Edward smiled slightly and got a nostalgic look in his eyes. "A person once told me 'Nothing is Impossible' and I believe him."

McGonagall let out a world weary sigh. "Is- is it working?"

Edward's smile became brighter. "Actually, yes it is. Very slowly and you have to squint, but it is working."

McGonagall let her furious and annoyed look melt from her features. "I see. Well, I guess that means you have my consent-"

Edward stared up at her, happy that she was on his side.

"-However, you will also need Professor Snape's consent as well." She stated.

Edward deflated a little, though it wasn't much. "Can you go get him for me?"

McGonagall sighed. Sometimes Elric acted so childishly. Though, that was to be expected. He was only twenty-three, after all.

"I'll go fetch him." McGonagall turned around and headed for the door.

However, two preteens; one Gryffindor and the other Slytherin gave each other panicked looks before scrambling away from the door. Both of them had their ears pushed to the aging wood to hear what the two teachers were talking about. Both of them were able to get a few feet away from the door and one another so when McGonagall finally swung open the door and strode out and away, neither of them looked suspicious.

"Come in!" Edward called.

Hermione and Malfoy walked into the room, staring slightly wide eyed at the professor.

"Well, go ahead and get started. I have work to attend to." Edward said.

As Hermione and Malfoy took out their Alchemy notes, Edward let out what sounded like a swear in a different language. Hermione and Malfoy glanced at each other. Neither of them recognized the language.

"McGonagall took my pen!" Edward growled. Yanking one of the drawers open, he took out a new pen before closing it with a crack and diving right back into his research, ignoring both the students.

Hermione and Malfoy gave the odd professor a questioning glance, but turned back to checking over each other's essays. Hermione caught a couple of mistakes and showed Malfoy where he needed to correct it while Malfoy showed Hermione where she started to ramble off in her own. Though Hermione didn't take to well to criticism as usual, she got over it and corrected the mistakes; somewhat glad that someone was able to catch them.

Before Hermione and Malfoy could discuss something other than Alchemy, the door swung open once again, showcasing an emotionless Professor Snape. Snape strode into the room with purpose. Unlike McGonagall, he just grabbed Edward's right arm and dragged him out of the room, the Alchemy teacher tripping in surprise the entire time.

"Keep working!" Edward called out to the students before the door closed behind him.

Neither student even glanced at each other as they hopped up and once again pressed eager ears to the door, wanting to know the next side of the conversation.

Meanwhile, Snape dropped Edward's arm. Turning around, he started. "McGonagall came to tell me you're trying an experimental punishment with a Gryffindor and a Slytherin."

Edward nodded. "That's right. I want to try and get rid of this ridiculous house rivalry."

Snape shook his head. "Do you know how long this rivalry has lasted? I doubt what your trying with two students will undo the past thousand years."

Edward gave Snape a knowing smile. "Have to start somewhere and besides, 'Nothing is impossible.'" He quoted once more.

Snape shook his head again. "You can try all you like, Elric, but the fact of the matter is that you will not get rid of house rivalry. Or racism, as Minerva told me."

Edward nodded. "I understand what you're getting at, but at least let me try. I think-_know_ progress is being made!"

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. "Very well. I give you my consent. But if it doesn't work, don't be too surprised, Professor Elric."

Edward nodded and turned back to his classroom. "Oh, and Professor Snape?" He called out.

The potions master turned around. Edward's back was faced towards him so he couldn't read his expression.

"You can call me Edward. Or Ed, from now on. 'Professor Elric' is getting annoying." And with that, the blond went back into his room, not noticing the preteens flustered faces.

Severus turned back around and headed for the dungeons.

Edward was a strange man.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Hermione, Harry, and Ron slipped into the girl's restroom once again, trying to prepare their Polyjuice potion.

As Hermione stirred the concoction, she couldn't help but wonder if they were doing the right thing. She understood the hatred that Harry and Ron had for Malfoy and she still also disliked him greatly, but she could no longer bring herself to hate him. Hermione could still remember Edward explaining the actual point of the punishment to both Snape and McGonagall.

She couldn't believe what Edward was trying to do.

He must be mad. Completely and totally mad. There is no way he actually thinks he's going to get rid of racism in the Wizarding World. No way…

Yet, the more Hermione pondered about it, the more dubious she became of her thoughts. Though Hermione wouldn't admit it out loud, she did realize that there was a lot more to Malfoy then meets the eye. Edward had been right; Malfoy had dreams and aspirations like any other person. He wanted to travel around a bit when he got older and he didn't know what career he wanted in life either. He did accidently let it slip that he didn't want to work at the ministry like his father, though right after he said that he denied it right away and changed the subject.

It was also hard to admit that she also opened up to Malfoy, explaining exactly what dentists were, which had shocked him and she could tell, at that moment, he was interested in even more muggle things, but he had bitten his tongue and said nothing; to prideful to admit to his own curiosity.

This made Hermione even more dubious that Malfoy was the one attacking the students. He simply didn't act like a person who would go around trying to petrify people. Sure, he was a jerk, snobby, selfish, and a bully but Hermione couldn't help but think he was innocent.

"Hey guys?" She asked Harry and Ron, who were discussing ways on how to get information out of Malfoy.

"Huh? What is it, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Um, it's just that, I really don't believe its Malfoy attacking the students."

Both boys stared at her in disbelief. Finally, Ron broke the silence.

"What? Who else would it be? And since when did you start standing up for that jerk?" Ron asked angrily.

Hermione huffed in annoyance. "I'm not standing up for him! Besides, I have that weird punishment with him, remember? We're forced to have conversations with each other and after a while, it somehow becomes a bit more natural. It's still really awkward and strange, but I honestly don't think he's the one doing it."

"But Malfoy is our only lead we got." Harry reasoned.

"He might still know something…" Hermione trailed off.

"So we're sticking to the plan?" asked Ron.

Harry nodded at Ron. "Yeah."

Chatter died away and the three Gryffindors simply looked around the abandoned bathroom.

"Elric sure sounds like a nutter." Ron stated, changing the subject. Though Ron no longer had the strange teacher, plenty of stories floated around Hogwarts. Some sounded horribly cruel, such as the story about how he made an innocent first year Ravenclaw girl burst into tears and he just sat there and laughed or how he supposedly is a squib. Some rumors made sense, most of them didn't and Ron was grateful he dropped out of that crazy class.

Hermione and Harry simply gave each other a look. Sure, Elric had his…quirks, but neither of them would call him a nutter.

"He's not a nutter, Ron. He knows what he's doing. Even if he breaks the rules." Hermione stated.

"Besides, he's a pretty cool teacher. He doesn't favor any house at least and he's pretty fair overall." Harry added.

Ron snorted. "Whatever. Anyways, when is this potion going to be done again?"

Hermione let out another sigh.

"How many times do I have to tell you it will be done before Christmas?"

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Ok. It's a bit shorter than last few chapters and a bit of a filler, but there is some important stuff thrown in there!**

**Plus, I was able to update again today! Two chapters in two days is pretty good. Yet, I will be horribly busy tomorrow (I have Band UIL) so there might not be an update for...hm, I predict two or three days? Let's see how it goes.**

**Ok, though neither of you really asked a question per say, I still feel a need to comment:**

**alchemyfreak42- To be honest, when I went back and read that bit again, I do think it was a bit heavy here and there. I might fix it when I go back and edit this entire thing; I don't know. Matters on how it flows. But, there is no more angst planned for the rest of this book, so...yeah.**

**tragicmat1- There is a reason behind his personality that will be answered later on. I never throw anything in a story for the fun of it. I always think before I act! Just grin and bear it, that's all I can say.**

**As always, thank you for reading and leave a review if you can! I read every single one of them~**


	13. Magic, not Alchemy

**Disclaimer: *In the tune of 'Let it Go* I don't own! I don't own! I will never-ever own!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward let out a vicious snarl as he dug feverously through the rubble, trying to get to the wounded soldier underneath._

_The War to End all Wars wasn't very effective._

_It barely took twenty years for war to strike again and this time it struck even harder. Germany was in debt, the Mark was useless as well as the Treaty, along with the new government._

_Then came Hitler._

_Edward had to admit, Hitler knew exactly what he was doing. He knew how to talk, how to act, how to manipulate people. He was charming and intense when out and about and he had a certain feel. He brought hope, false it may be, to sore, starving, and terrified Germans._

_So it was no surprise that he was able to claw his way to power. Not at all._

_And now, Edward was caught in the middle like before but this time, Edward would save more lives. He had to. _

_And he was succeeding. _

_He brought runaway Jews and anyone else not deemed perfect to safe houses. He forged fake identities to help them reach somewhere safe such as America._

_He did all he could._

_Finally, Edward got through the rubble, red alchemic light dancing on his broken and bleeding fingertips. He would've gotten through with alchemy, but he didn't want to alert anyone with huge light shows so he dug the slow and painful way._

_Tearing the poor man away from the collapsed building, Edward paused slightly when he noticed the Swastika on his forearm, but dove back into his work. Nazi or no Nazi, Edward wouldn't let anyone die. That was not his decision to make._

_Pulling out medicine and bandages, Edward carefully prodded the man, quickly figuring out he had a bullet wound in his leg, a snapped femur, and three broken ribs. Gritting his teeth, Edward dived into work. He dug the bullet out of the Nazi's side and, looking around carefully, closed the wound with a muted flash of red alchemic light. Edward was sure there was a way to heal someone without using the Stone's power, but due to the limitations of the world's medical knowledge, Edward couldn't put any good theories to use._

_Edward was able to bandage the rest of the wounds up. A bullet hole was one thing, but anything bigger and others would come running at the red light, forcing Edward to resort to normal methods._

_Edward heard a low groan and watched the Nazi slowly open his cloudy blue eyes, blinking in surprise and pain._

"_W-what…?"_

"_Shhh, you'll be fine. You were under the rubble. I bandaged your wounds." Edward spoke softly to the man, hoping that he wouldn't notice the lack of the armband._

"_Who…who are you?" The man managed to cough._

_Edward smiled. "A doctor."_

_As the Nazi dragged himself out of his groggy state, he quickly noticed the lack of a uniform and a red armband._

"_You're not a Nazi! Are you a Jew?" He growled._

_Edward shook his head. "I'm neither a Jew or a Nazi."_

"_Are you a Brit?"_

"_If I was English or, because I know you'll ask, an American, I wouldn't be speaking perfect German to you, would I?" Edward smirked._

"_Don't back talk me!" The Nazi snarled, trying to get to his feet. Sadly, his broken leg couldn't support him and the man felt agony rip through his chest as he collapsed to the ground._

"_Steady, steady. You shouldn't get so excited in the state you're in. Calm down."_

_The Nazi tried to move again, but couldn't seem to move his limbs. On top of that, the world was starting to become black and foggy…_

_Edward removed the needle from the man's arm. It was a bit of a waste, he supposed, considering how hard it was to get medicine, but Edward could tell that the Nazi would be trouble if conscious. _

_Picking up the man, Edward carefully carried him away to safety among other Nazis. It may be dangerous, but he could handle it._

_Edward wasn't English._

_Nor was he a Nazi._

_He was simply a doctor doing his job._

~~0~~0~~0~~

When Edward heard that there was going to be a dueling club started by Lockheart, he knew he would have to participate, mainly due to the fact that Severus had dropped many obvious hints that he should so that Severus wouldn't have to go alone, but reason stemming from the fact that Edward wanted to protect the students from Lockheart's dumbassery and silently laugh on how wizards dueled. In a proper battle, no one was going to follow pre-made sugar coated rules. In a real fight, your enemy will try to strike first and get the kill in as soon as possible. Unless someone wanted to duel for fun, teaching students the 'proper' way to duel and pass it off as real fighting, which is what Lockheart seemed to be doing, was ridiculous and stupid.

But Lockheart has never been the brightest bulb out there. Not that he knew what a light bulb was.

So, Sunday, Edward made his way to where the dueling club would take place, meeting Severus outside the door.

"Thank you for coming, Edward. You will be a big help at keeping students in check." Severus said to him.

Edward cracked a grin at the grumpy man, knowing this was a way to thank him for not leaving the potions master at the painful clutches of Lockheart. "It's no problem, Severus. Lockheart is a pain in the ass after all."

"Language, Edward." Severus sighed. "We are still inside a school."

Edward cracked a grin at the man. "Let's go on in, shall we?"

Severus swung the door open, revealing a cleared out space with a long platform in the middle; most likely for presentations. As Edward stepped into the room behind Severus, he closed the door with a _bang!_ Causing the first blond in the room and whip around, wand gripped weakly in his hand; held above his head.

"Ah! Thank you for joining me, Severus!" Lockheart beamed at the greasy haired man. "Oh, Edward, I didn't know you were coming as well." He added quickly once he saw Edward step out from behind the taller teacher. Edward grinned when he saw Lockheart subconsciously rub his jaw.

Severus snorted, but said nothing. Edward just gave Lockheart a bigger grin, pumped full of malice and sarcasm.

"I thought I'd come to help you control the students and make sure no one accidently gets hurt." Edward replied cheekily. His golden eyes burned with both amusement and danger.

Lockheart found that he could not meet those burning orbs.

"So, um, S-Severus, think you could duel with me a bit. I need to warm up, but I promise no harm will come to you; I am a great dueler, after all, as you should know." Lockheart's voice became stronger as he spoke, letting a large fake looking grin smear across his face.

Severus gave out a small, barely noticeable hum and joined Lockheart on stage. After Lockheart dropped his wand seven times before the duel even started, Edward got bored. Reaching into his deep red coat pocket, he found both a pen and a scrap of paper. Sitting down on the floor, Edward started doodling transmutation circles, occasionally glancing up to see what the two wizards were doing. Usually Edward caught Lockheart getting his wand back from Severus or picking it up off the ground while Severus simply stood there, face mostly neutral besides a small spark of annoyance within his dark orbs. Every time Edward saw this, he would give a soft, unheard snort of amusement and return doodling.

After drawing seven semi-complicated circles, Edward looked up to see several young witches trickle into the room, all of them red in the face. Edward rolled his eyes as intense whispering took place after the heart-throb would give a smile and a wink to the witches.

Edward didn't understand women. Or girls.

Edward huffed and continued his work. After he was half-way done with his eleventh circle, more students, including boys, started flowing in. Edward stretched before standing up. It was getting crowded and Edward didn't want to look up at the towering students above him any longer.

Edward pushed his way through the crowd, leaning against the wall to see how this entire scene would play out. Knowing Lockheart, it won't be anything good.

Finally, Lockheart did a funny looking wave, stealing everyone's attention. "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can everyone hear me? Excellent!"

Edward rolled his eyes again.

"Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions – for full details, see my published works."

Edward let out a snort of disbelief, causing some girls to turn around and give him some angry looks while the boys simply looked at him with hopeful and amused expressions.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape."

_Enter flashy smile here. _Edward thought.

Lockheart flashed another toothy grin.

_Just as I thought._

Edward's souls laughed.

"He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Professor Elric has also joined us to keep a better eye on everyone here." Lockheart beamed, gesturing towards both men.

Severus wore no expression.

Edward leered a twisted grin.

"Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry – you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

Severus simply sneered.

Being so focused on what was happening on the stage; Edward didn't realize someone joined him against the wall until he felt a timid poke in his shoulder. Turning around, Edward was face-to-face with a shy but friendly Neville.

Neville gave him a small smile, which Edward returned. Both teacher and student turned their focus back onto the 'lesson' dumbass was teaching.

Severus had just cried the infamous disarming spell _expelliarmus. _There was a flash of bright red light and Gilderoy was missing his wand. Again. Not only that but Lockheart was blasted into the opposite wall.

Edward couldn't help but chuckle, making even more girls look at him in irritation while the boys wore similar smiles of amusement.

When Edward focused back on Lockheart, he was directing everyone to get into pairs and practice on one another. Neville was ripped away from the wall to be pared with Finch-Fletchley, a friendly Hufflepuff boy that was pretty decent at alchemy. The Hufflepuff gave Neville a friendly smile which was quickly returned with a shy one.

Edward went to wandering around the student pairs, often having to stop vicious fights before they even began. He had to pull a mean looking girl off poor Hermione and gave her a detention for physical fighting! It was ridiculous.

A '_Finite Incantatem' _was shouted out by Severus and all nasty spell-work was stopped immediately.

Students calmed down and stopped fighting quickly. Edward quickly moved through the crowd, directing hurt students how to care for their bloody noses, lips, and one or two black eyes. Really, this was ridiculous. Severus and Lockheart should've let the student's pair up with each other instead of forcing enemies together. At least there wouldn't have been any physical wounds then.

"I think I'd better teach you how to _block_ unfriendly spells…" Lockheart muttered, his face red and flustered.

"No shit Sherlock." Edward grinded out loudly. Students who didn't have him as a teacher gasped at his profanity while students who did either looked at him annoyed, silently laughed, or simply didn't react.

"Language, Professor Elric." Severus sighed.

Edward rolled his eyes and watched in interest as Harry and Malfoy were chosen as a demonstration pair. _This should be interesting. And entertaining. _Edward thought.

Edward sneered at Lockheart as he did some weird girly-twirl-y thing in the air in his wand. Finally, the professor backed off and the two students met in the middle of the stage. Inclining their heads a fraction to each other, the boys returned to their proper opposite ends of the stage, wands gripped in tight, angry hands.

"Three – two – one – go!" Lockheart shouted.

Yet, just as Lockheart was saying "one," Malfoy attacked first.

"_Serpensortia!"_

Edward watched as a long, black snake exploded from the tip of the wand, landing on the stage floor with a heavy thud. There were some screams in the crowd and Edward found himself to be the closest person to the stage.

Meanwhile, the snake raised itself off the floor, hissing in anger.

"Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it." Severus said with a very small amused grin on his face.

"Allow me!" Lockheart shouted. With a melodramatic flourish of his robes, Lockheart waved his wand over the snake, causing the poor creature to fly wildly into the air before painfully smacking against the ground.

Now the snake was _really _pissed. Raising itself as high as it could manage; the snake loomed over poor Justin Finch-Fletchley, who was the second closest person to the stage and nearest to the snake. The snake opened its mouth, baring long and deadly fangs, preparing to strike the poor boy down.

Before Edward could move in and protect his student, a strange, yet familiar hissing noise pierced the air. Edward stiffened.

No. It wasn't possible.

Yet, yet it was.

Edward watched as _Harry_ ran towards the snake, hissing at it in desperation. Hissing. Speaking a different language. A familiar language.

_Parselmouth._

Harry was a Parselmouth.

Edward was shaken by his thoughts as he watched the now-subdued snake vanish in a puff of smoke. Harry stared around nervously at the whisperings of the students. Finally, a slightly familiar-looking red head and Hermione ran up and directed Harry off the stage through the quickly parting crowd.

It took less than a second for Edward to realize he was hurrying after the child. Clawing his way through the thick thong of students, Edward ran after the retreating trio.

"Hermione! Potter! Red-head! Stop!" Edward called out to them.

The trio stopped and watched as Edward took a few more strides to stand next to the three, his golden eyes shining brightly.

"You three, my office." Edward stated to them.

Hermione and the red-head gave each other worrying glances while Harry looked even more confused and upset. Whipping around, Edward led the trio to his classroom, keeping a sharp eye on them just in case they decided to try and slip away. Once at the classroom, Edward let the three students in before closing and locking the door. Striding over to his seat, Edward sat down heavily, looking at the increasingly nervous-looking students through lidded eyes.

"How long have you known you are a Parselmouth, Mr. Potter?" Edward asked.

"A _what_?" Harry gasped, surprise flickering across his face.

Edward blinked, yet before he could say anything, Hermione and red-head beat him to the punch.

"Snake language!" Red-head told him.

"It's really rare." Hermione added.

Harry looked between his two friends in confusion. So he could talk to snakes. What was the big deal? Harry turned his attention back to the waiting professor in front of him.

"Um, I guess since I accidentally released a python at the zoo one time, but I swear, professor, I didn't mean to! It was before Hogwarts." Harry replied to the questioning teacher.

Edward looked at him, long and hard. Finally, he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in anxiety.

"This is bad. This is _real_ bad." Edward grumbled.

"Bad?" Harry repeated.

Hermione seemed to understand what Edward was thinking for she, too, was looking more stressful than usual.

"Harry, the reason why Slytherin's house is a snake. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth." Hermione stated.

"So? I bet loads of people here can do it." Harry replied with a casual shrug.

"No, they can't. It's a rare gift, Harry." Hermione told him.

"Yeah. And because of the Chamber and stuff, people are going to be thinking your Slytherin's great-great grandson or something!" Ron butted in with worry.

"I really doubt that." Edward muttered, joining the conversation again. "People aren't really _that_ thick headed. There are multiple wizard families that can speak Parselmouth, not just Salazar."

"You'd be surprised." Hermione muttered darkly.

Edward merely snorted.

"Whatever. Mr. Potter, I would suggest to not speak to snakes for a while. Wait for things to calm down."

"Fat chance that'll happen." Ron retorted.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Shut it, Carrot top."

"Carrot top?!" Ron cried indigently.

Edward smirked.

"Carrot top."

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward growled as he rolled out of bed, ports aching like mad. His nerves felt stiff, like he hasn't moved them for years. Groaning, Edward rubbed the sensitive skin. He could tell it was snowing outside just due to the fact on how bad his ports were this morning. Grappling for his wand left casually on his bedside desk underneath a bunch of important research papers, Edward quickly performed the heat spell, enjoying the sensation of warmth spreading from his nerves outward, the pain vanishing.

_Just like magic._

Edward smirked distastefully.

That…that was simply horrible.

Standing up, Edward stretched, enjoying the feeling of his muscles warming up and his bones cracking out of sleep. Edward took only a few steps forward after that, planning on switching to his day-clothes, before tripping over the edge of something. He squawked loudly in surprise as he couldn't catch himself. His head cracked loudly against a bookshelf, causing the said shelf to break and pour heavy books upon his already harmed head.

Edward groaned as he sat up, feeling the familiar red flash of alchemic light as it repaired his concussion. He whipped his head around, preparing to give the object that tripped him a good and harsh glare before moving it away. Edward did not expect the said object to be a box. Not just _any_ box, but a box_es_ wrapped in cheerful wrapper.

Edward could only stare at the invading packages in slight confusion. He knew another holiday was coming up; the shining decorations, exciting murmuring of students, and the first break since school began.

What was it called again? Edward thought long and hard. It was Hanukkah, right? Or Boxing Day? No, not Boxing Day, though that was close. It was called…

_Christmas._

Yes, that was its name. Christmas.

Now, what was Christmas about?

Eyeing the boxes, Edward carefully neared one, half-suspecting that something was going to pop out and attack him or something. Yet, as Edward picked up the package and gave it a small shake, nothing popped out. Nothing was trying to kill him.

Peeling back the paper, Edward watched the box take the form of a package of _Bertie Bott's every flavor beans._ Along with the candy, a small note fell out as well.

_Merry Christmas, Edward. _

_Thank you for teaching everyone!_

_~Hermione_

Edward felt his heart start to glow with warmth and a strange, fluffy feeling dug its way into Edward's gut. He was happy. Actually happy.

But why?

Edward glanced at the other two packages. One of them was, surprisingly, from Severus. It was a book about Dark Magic. A small note that came with it revealed that the book went out of production years ago and was in no longer in any libraries because of its dark nature. Severus knew that Edward would like the book if only for the fact that it was rare and might interest him.

Edward smiled, the feeling of happiness growing stronger within him.

For Severus to do something like this…it spoke volumes on how much the greasy-haired man trusted him.

The last package was from Dumbles. Edward was surprised to find a basket with tools to help him fix his automail along with some bottles of oil and some raw metals. The note simply read that he needed to stop squeaking and clean himself up a bit better.

Edward smirked. Though Dumbles may be a crazy manipulative bastard, it was obvious he cared.

A full and true smile etched its way onto Edward's face; the first true smile he's had in a long time.

The rest of the day passed quickly for Edward. He made sure to thank Hermione, Severus, and Dumbledore for the gifts. Though Edward didn't celebrate holidays, he decided that Christmas wasn't a bad one. Not at all.

The finishing feast was, somehow, even more amazing than the Halloween feast. There were all sorts of delicious delicacies that delighted his taste buds that Edward found it hard to not stop eating. He stuffed his face full of turkey and ham, mashed potatoes with creamy gravy, and all sorts of other foods. It was truly amazing; the house elves had really outdone themselves this time. On top of that were the glowing decorations that lit the hall. Baubles of all shapes and color were hung around. Though Edward was confused on why twelve giant trees were decorated lavishly and set up, he had to admit that whoever decorated them had done their job well.

On top of all that, there was no LockHeart! None, whatsoever! Apparently the man left on family matters or something, though Edward found it hard to believe that any family member would like Lockheart. Unless, of course, his family was like Lockheart himself which made unpleasant shivers race up his spine. More than one Lockheart was truly a horrible thing.

Despite the day's cheer and simple wonderfulness, it eventually came to a close.

Today had been the best day all year. Easily.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward stretched once again as he walked down the hallway. His shower had been wonderful like all showers were at Hogwarts. It had the exact brand of soap he used and was hot as always. Showers were definitely amazing things. Edward was grateful they were invented and that humans decided to participate in proper hygiene. Yet, as Edward was walking down the hallway, his skin glowing with warmth and his heart glowing with happiness, he was surprised to be knocked down into the floor by two heavy bodies.

"What the hell?" Edward growled as he shoved the two bodies off him and onto the floor.

Standing up, Edward glared down at the two boys, only to start staring in pure shock.

The two boys were definitely Harry and Carrot top, no doubt about it. But both of them were _wrong_. They were way too heavy set, with sloping foreheads and all. Plus, they were wearing Slytherin robes! Yet as Edward stared at their features, he realized that they were _changing_. Carrot top was getting redder and redder hair while Harry was becoming paler. Both of them were also shrinking with small, painful cracks and they were losing weight quickly. Soon, where two odd looking boys were now Harry Potter and Carrot top.

Edward, in one word, was shocked, to say the least. And furious.

Grabbing both of them by the upper arm, Edward snarled in rage as he roughly dragged them down to his office.

"You two have a LOT of explaining to do!"

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward swung open the door to the girl's restroom violently and stepped in. Behind him trailed Harry and Carrot top, both boys shaking in fear and unease.

At the sound of the door opening and closing, a familiar voice came from the depths of the room, echoing slightly.

"Harry! Ron! Did you find anything?" Hermione called, hope evident in her voice.

Both Harry and _Ron_ flinched, glancing up at the pissed off Alchemy Professor in worry. Edward made his way to the stalls. Glancing underneath the closed doors, he quickly figured out which one Hermione was hiding in. A clap echoed loudly in the quiet room and Edward broke the lock on the stall. The door swung out.

Yet, instead of Hermione's fearful brown eyes, Edward faced two glowing yellow eyes that, after glancing at him once, retreated to the floor.

Edward could only stare in shock and fear.

_It's magic, not alchemy. These students couldn't have performed Human Transmutation. It's impossible. There is no way. This is magic. Magic. And Hermione. Not Nina. This is Hermione. Not Nina._

Not Nina.

Though Edward's personal words along with the cooling whispers of the soul's within him soothed his fear and anger, Edward could tell that the weird human-cat hybrid that was standing in front of him was not only not normal. This was magic gone haywire.

At least, Edward hoped. He could honestly say that he would've never guessed it if Hermione did this to herself on purpose.

That's when, in the middle of Edward's torrent of thoughts, Hermione started to cry.

"No, no don't cry! We'll get this fixed I promise!" Edward stuttered, panicking slightly. Despite all the years that have passed, he still couldn't stand seeing girls cry. Especially when he was part of the reason.

Hermione hiccupped as Edward gently grabbed her shoulders and led her out of the toilet. Hermione had her furry head buried deep in her hands and was shaking uncontrollably.

"Hermione! What _happened_ to you?!" _Ron_ gasped.

Edward sent the red-head a sharp glare. Rubbing the poor girl's shoulders in awkward and jerky movements, he gestured with his eyes for the boys to follow, guiding the cat-girl to the Hospital wing.

If any person who knew how to fix this, it was Madam Pomfrey.

After getting screamed at by Pomfrey, Edward led the two boys into his office once again.

And once again they stood before him as he sat stiffly in his chair, glaring up at the two.

"Now." Edward growled, his teeth clenched. "I'm trying my best not to jump to conclusions. _What the fuck were you three up to?!_"

Harry and Carrot top flinched violently at Edward's tone of voice.

"We-we were trying to see if-if Malfoy knew any-anything about the Cha-chamber." Harry stuttered.

Edward's mouth became a harsh frown as he glared at the two with blazing gold eyes. "And why the fuck would Malfoy know anything?"

"Be-be-because w-we thought that h-he was the o-one opening the Cha-Chamber and at-attacking the students." Carrot-top muttered, his stutter worse than Harry's somehow.

"And what does that have to do with turning your _friend_ into a cat and you two into Slytherins?" Edward pressured on.

Both boys flinched again and gave each other nervous stares.

"Um, we-we made and t-took Polyjuice Potion." Harry confessed.

Edward cocked an eyebrow and a slightly pleased grin worked its way where an unmovable slash once was. Though neither student noticed it, Edward was relieved that magic was the cause of this mistake, not alchemy.

Still, if Edward remembered correctly, Polyjuice Potion was terribly hard to make. It took a long time and was so easy to screw up. The trio had to have had this plan for at the very _least _a month. Not only that, but was able to (mostly) get away with it.

In all honesty, it reminded Edward of himself a bit. Sure, these kids weren't taking on serial killers and dangerous monsters, but to be able to get away with something like this reminded Edward of the old days. Defying Mustang and always traveling, just him and Al…

No.

_Ka-chunk_

That was the sound of a lock sealing his memories away. Once again. As always.

Mentally shaking his head, Edward brought his attention back to the Gryffindors standing before him.

"I see. And I take it that Hermione made the potion?"

Edward watched in amusement as Harry and Carrot-top's mouths gaped at the sound of him calling a student by their first name.

"Close your mouths, don't want flies down your throat, do you?" Edward asked the boys when they didn't answer right away.

Both boys flushed slightly and closed their mouths.

"Y-yes sir." Harry finally grounded out.

Edward sat back and thought about the situation. Sure, he was going to punish the trio, no questions asked. But, Edward had to admit that they were, to some degree, clever and Edward had to hand it to them for being able to sneak into Severus cabinet and steal ingredients. That man _still_ hasn't shut up about it since.

Oh well. Guess he'll never know.

"Okay, boys. I've decided a fitting punishment for you both." Edward finally stated to the nervous pre-teens.

"You're not gonna send us to Dumbledore?" Carrot top blurted.

Harry elbowed the redhead hard in the ribs in anger.

"Do you want me too?" Edward asked with a smirk.

"N-no…"

"Good." Edward's smirk grew to a full shit-eating grin. "Your punishment is to inform me about any information you might have about the Chamber or the person responsible for opening it."

The two preteens stared at him in awe.

"You're serious?" Harry asked.

Edward nodded. "All I want is to stop these attacks. But I'm a teacher, I can't eavesdrop on students. But you two and Hermione _can_ so you find any information and share it with me, I'll not only let this incident slip but I'll help you three as well. I have my own ways of getting information. When we find something, we'll pool are knowledge together. Besides, four heads are better than three."

Edward threw a cocky grin.

"Especially when one of those heads is a genius. "

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Ummm...I have an excuse?**

**No really! I do. I'm still evil though. what has it been, four days? Five?**

**Ugh, but really, I have my reasons.**

**On Monday I had UIL for Band. Apparently we really sucked. **

**On Tuesday I had to take the (five hour long) State English Test. After writing two essays about some senseless prompt along with reading stories that feel like teenage propaganda, I really didn't feel like writing.**

**Today, it stormed real badly (Marble sized hail and bigger!) and my friend was stuck at my house. I would've had this up sooner if it wasn't for that.**

**Oh, and I failed a math test and I had to correct and redo it.**

**So yeah, I've had a crappy week. But! I will get at least one chapter out to ya'll during the weekend, so yay!**

**well...that's about it for my ranting. Onto the questions!**

**dontgochasing: Usually I update every other day or every three days.**

**HighLevelJinx: You really should watch FMA. Its really good! Horcruxes? That's a good question, but you're gonna have to read to find out! As for the stone, that's part of the FMA universe.**

** Hikari-Hikaru: Yes, I'm going through all the books. **

**Faliara: Gotta watch dem context clues...**

**Krazyfanfiction1: I would assume so...mattering on how high he was tossed up...Agh! your idea is really good. I might have to steal it...er borrow!**

**Well! That's it! Thanks for putting up with my lateness and thanks for reading!**


	14. How I Love That Man

**Disclaimer: I don't own either FMA or HP! If I did, I wouldn't be writing Fanfiction! And I'd be rich!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward slammed his metal fist into the wall, causing the already unstable building to tremble. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't fucking believe it._

_The old bastard, Albus-fucking-Dumbledore stood before him, staring at Edward evenly. Despite the man's…violent tendencies, Albus was sure that he wouldn't harm him._

"_Why? What the hell do you need me for?!" Edward snarled._

_Albus sighed. He knew the immortal man would be difficult to talk to. A man who went through so much trouble to hide himself from the world due to the fact that he couldn't die wouldn't be pleased to see a face from a different identity. Even so, Albus was able to track him, which was probably one of the most difficult things he's had to do so far. _

"'_Eben,' I've already told you. I need your help to watch over a certain student that will be starting Hogwarts this year."_

"_Yeah, but why in hell would I help you? And my name is Edwin, old geezer. Get it right." 'Edwin' snarled._

_Albus pinched the bridge of his nose. Why did 'Edwin' have to be so difficult? "Remember Grindlewald, 'Edwin?' You got kidnapped and I saved you. By your laws of Equivalent Exchange, you do actually owe me." He said, frustrated. _

'_Edwin' let out a snort of hate. "But I'm busy here! If you self-pompous wizards haven't noticed, the whole fucking world is tearing itself apart! I_ have_ to play my part!"_

"_We need you too. Besides, the war is winding down. Don't you think you've done enough?" Albus asked._

'_Edwin' let out a strange choking noise that sounded like a sob mixed with a snarl and another snort of hatred. "There's no such thing as 'enough.' No matter how many I save, my sins will never repent."_

_Albus shook his head._

"_It doesn't matter. You do owe me, 'Edwin.' Plus I can try to make this…job less painful for you. You'll still be a teacher, but you'll only have sixth and seventh years to deal with. On top of that the classes will be on days best for you. I can also set up a port key network for you to travel between here and Hogwarts for you. You'll still be able to help with the war effort!" Albus argued, a slight grin working its way onto his face. _

_Check._

'_Edwin' scowled. He couldn't find a way to defy the man's logic and it absolutely sickened him. "Fine."_

_Albus smiled. _

_And mate. Game over._

_Yet, before Albus could say or do anything else, an inhumanly hard right fist swung and connected with Albus's slightly crooked nose, breaking it perfectly._

_Albus's hands jerked to his face automatically. Pain rushing through his skin._

_Did 'Edwin' really have to break his nose a second time?_

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward felt like he was going to puke. His insides were twisted up into nasty knots, organs choking on one another to put themselves out of misery. His eyes bulged out of his head in pure terror and disgust. Meanwhile, most the souls inside him had similar feelings, albeit much less physical sickness. The souls did a mixture a groaning, laughing nervously, snorting, any many more reactions that Edward only half paid attention to.

Because, early morning, standing within the doors of the Great Hall, Edward was staring at the monstrous amount of red and pink that raped the area with their hideous color.

Red may be Edward's favorite color, but the shade Lockheart used was sickening.

The Hall was decorated just in time for Valentine's Day. Why people celebrated Valentine's Day Edward would never know. Why would they name a day of love after a guy who had nothing to do with love at all? Edward will never know.

Despite the validity of Valentine's Day, the Hall was decorated for the occasion. Large red and pink flowers shaped like hearts were stamped to the wall. The same color confetti fell from a lovely morning sky, peppering everyone with annoying bits. As Edward walked a slow walk to his seat, he noticed Lockheart standing before the tables, dressed in a pink robe with red hearts.

Edward slunk deeply into his seat. Already he was ready for the day to be done. Giving a secretive glance at other teachers, Edward saw that he wasn't the only one feeling sickened. Severus looked like he just swallowed a lemon and McGonagall's lips were pursed into an impossibly thin line while a muscle twitched dangerously in her cheek.

Waving for chatter to die down, Lockheart exclaimed a jubilant "Happy Valentine's Day! And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! I have arranged this little surprise for you all – and it doesn't end here!"

Edward groaned and banged his forehead against the table. Why can't it end? _Why?_

The only answers that came were from the souls inside him, though they either didn't know or gave him wild and strange explanations that made no sense.

Well, they did make Edward smirk in amusement.

"My friendly card-carrying cupids! They will be moving about the school delivering your valentines" Lockheart continued, gesturing to a bunch of poor dwarves dressed up like stereotypical cupids with golden wings and harps.

Edward smacked his newly lifted head against the table, seething in disgust.

"And the fun doesn't stop here!" Lockheart blathered. "I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion? While you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly dog! And lastly, Professor Elric could easily make a small gift for your sweetheart using a tad of his alchemy!"

Severus looked like he was ready to shove poison down Lockheart's throat while Flitwick buried his hands into his head, flushing with embarrassment. Edward, on the other hand, took to glaring at Lockheart as well as the student body, telling everyone that if they knew what was good for them, they wouldn't ask.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward walked into his second year class feeling absolutely pissed and slightly embarrassed. All day, dwarves kept trying to give him his 'valentines' in which he would promptly kick them away and run like hell. Edward had no clue who was sending them or why; all he knew was that when he found the person doing this, he'll make sure to send them into _tears._

Meanwhile, the second year class was both excited for what today would bring as well as terrified by the bad, dangerous aura that the professor had.

Today will be the official day they started their first transmutations. Elric had made it clear that alchemy was not to be messed around. He decided that before students could try and transmute, everyone in the class had to pass in their essays and pass, which was more difficult than what others would believe. Elric's class has always been a pass-or-fail class, but Elric was super tough on the essays; neither Hermione nor Neville were able to pass on their first try and they were the best when it came to alchemy! Never the less, everyone eventually got their essays turned in and passed off, something Elric had been adamant on; everyone must pass or failures drop out before any class could transmute anything.

Now, months after the essay project was handed out, they would finally be able to actually use alchemy! It was a momentous occasion!

As the classes excitement and pondering grew, Elric took to locking the door heavily, using both deadlocks and even transmuting it shut using a flash of electric blue alchemy. Though the class did murmur in confusion and slight worry, they said nothing. Elric always had strange behavior and quirks, it was nothing new.

"Okay class, today it looks like you're going to try and transmute something. If you apply all the theories I've given you and don't screw up, you'll be fine." Elric said as he went and stood before the class, arms crossed. The dangerous aura seemed to disappear, but the teacher still had tension within the depths of his eyes.

The class grew even more excited and enthusiastic, talking lightly with one another and the like while Elric passed around blocks of wood.

"Take out some pap- I mean parchment and draw your circles. Raise your hand when you're done; I'll need to check it." Elric continued, his voice hinting at slight worry for the students.

The class went and drew their transmutation circles. Some, like Neville and Hermione were concentrating so hard to get it perfectly correct on the first try, were actually sweating from the excursion. Others, like Harry and Malfoy, had to throw away multiple scraps due to the fact that they kept screwing up.

Watching this, Edward shook his head. It would be much easier if everyone just used a pen. Quills always ran out of ink to fast.

After the class was done and all circles were checked, Elric moved on. It was a good sign that no one was wrong when it came to the circle, though the students probably helped one another because everyone was using the same circle.

"Now then, place your block of wood in the center of the circle and place your hands on the edge of the circle. Concentrate on the equations you're using as well as a shape you want to make. You can make anything you'd like as long as it's not complicated. If you do it correct, it will work." Elric instructed.

A shy student raised their hand real quick. Now that they _really were_ going to transmute something, they felt nervous.

"Huh? What is it?" Elric asked the young hufflepuff.

"Um, well, is there a possibility for a rebound, professor?" She squeaked out.

Elric gave her a small smile that was supposed to be reassuring, even though it more or less looked like a grimace. "No, there won't be a rebound. Most likely the matter won't bend to your will or nothing will happen." He clarified. "Now then! Start!"

The students placed their hands against their circles and concentrated hard on what they were trying to make. For a few tense seconds, nothing at all happened in the small room that is, until very weak blue electrical light started sparking.

Neville stared down at the light vaguely sparking at his fingers and the wood. As his circle started to glow blue, more sparking commenced over where Hermione was crouching. She beamed happily. More lights started to fill the room, sparking and shivering between nervous student's fingers.

Harry struggled to get his circle to spark. He was thinking of what he wanted to make easily; a small statue of Hedwig. Yet, it didn't want to work. Remembering briefly of what the professor said, Harry took the smaller details off his statue and concentrated more on the equation he memorized in his mind. The equation balanced perfectly and blue light started crackling inside the circle happily, ready to be used. Harry watched as the wood started to twist and bend, creating a small legless version of Hedwig. Her wings were splayed out as if she was ready to fly, though she didn't have any feathers carved into her. As the transmutation ended, the blue light died out and the circle stopped glowing, leaving the statue behind.

Harry glanced around, wanting to see what else was going on. Across the room, Malfoy was finishing up his own statue of what appeared to be a snake. _How typical._ Harry thought with a roll of his eyes. Meanwhile, Neville was showing Elric his statue of what appeared to be a potted plant of some sort. Elric was pointing at it and explaining something about alchemic marks left on the wood. Hermione was admiring her own statue of what appeared to be a small, fat, legless cat.

As transmutations from around the classroom ended, Edward broke his chat with Neville and went to sit on his desk, his legs swinging back and forth. Staring around, he was pleased that everyone got a reaction of some sort. Sadly, only eight of them were able to actually create a very basic statue. The others transmuted their wood, but not into a statue. Many of them accidently stopped at deconstruction, leaving a pile of broken down materials in their circle. Others hadn't been concentrating on their shape well enough so they created a strange blob. Overall, Edward's class had done really well; being able to get a reaction of some kind.

"Very good, everyone." He said. His class beamed back at him in surprise and happiness; Edward almost never complimented anyone. "Though only eight of you were able to create a statue, at least everyone transmuted something. If you have a pile of shavings on your desk, you broke concentration and stopped at step two which is-"

"Deconstruction." The class rang out.

"Yeah. If you have a shape but it doesn't look like anything, you lost your focus on what you were trying to make. Now, if you didn't make a statue, you'll have to come in sometimes and preform another transmutation for me and create a statue to pass. For those who passed today, good job. You can keep your statues." Edward finished. A burst of pride and happiness welled in his heart as his eight students that created something happily pocketed their creations, wonder still written all over their faces.

"Any questions?" Edward asked.

"Professor, what was the first thing you ever created?" a student from the back called out.

Edward sighed and thought hard. What was the very first thing he's created? It was so long ago, he couldn't even recall.

"To be honest, I can't even remember. It was a long time ago." He answered.

"What was the best thing you've ever created?" Another student asked.

Before Edward could answer, however, there was a loud and rude banging on the door.

"Edward Elric, we know yar in here! We gots a message fer ya!" A dwarven voice yelled.

The students watched in amusement as Edward's face lost all its color, becoming stark white. Quickly, Edward dived behind his desk, hidden from view.

"I'm not here! I was never here!" He yell-whispered to his class.

Meanwhile, the class was torn between large guffaws of laughter or nervous, unsure looks between each other. Sometimes, it was really hard to believe that Elric was considered one of the scariest teachers in the school.

Finally, the door gave out as the dwarves used their brute strength to literally knock down the door. The students watched as three of them filed dressed as very ugly, fat cupids.

"Were is he?" One of the dwarfs asked.

The class said nothing. Though the dwarves were leering at everybody frighteningly, most the class decided that Elric was scarier.

Well, most the class. Nott decided it would be hilarious to see the unmovable alchemy teacher to get some weird valentines from creepy girls. Nott glanced at the dwarf standing next to him. Leaning towards the fat creature, Nott whispered the location of the poor professor.

The dwarf grunted in acknowledgement and thanks to the young Slytherin and went to the desk.

"Edward Elric, we know yar be-ind the desk. We 'ave roughly twenty-two valentine's t' give ya."

The professor made an odd squawking sound at the number. He peered over the desk, confusion, frustration, and desperation written clearly in the golden depths of his eyes. The dwarf seemed unfazed as he stared at the man.

"Oh, his hair woven in soft sunshine,

I wish he could be mine.

How I adore that man so-"

A blue flash of alchemy later and all three dwarves found themselves falling through a hole that opened up on the ground they stood on. Edward quickly smoothed the floor back out, as if the transmutation never happened.

The students tried – and failed to stop their giggles of amusement. Edward glared around angrily at them, cheeks burning a small hint of red from embarrassment.

"Shut it! Class dismissed!" Edward spat.

The class, still laughing, quickly departed from the room with the angry blond. As Hermione was walking out the door, however, she glanced back at the flustered blond. She paused, staring at him. Neville, who was behind her, bumped right into her, not noticing she had stopped.

"Oomph! Sorry, Hermione!" Neville cried out quickly.

"It's okay, Neville." Hermione reassured him, distracted by Edward's still flushed face that was currently looking at some notes stacked messily on his desk.

"Professor? Are you okay?" Hermione called out, side stepping Neville to backtrack into the classroom.

"Huh? I'm fine, Hermione." Edward answered her, only giving her a glance out of the corner of his eye.

Hermione looked at him in surprise. Neville was still in the room. Turning to Neville, she was about to make an excuse for the teacher calling her by her first name but before she could say anything, Neville started speaking.

"He calls you by your first name too?" Neville asked her in surprise.

"Too?" She answered back.

Neville nodded quickly, a small grin plastered on his face.

Hermione glanced back at Edward, her mind still set in her decision.

"You don't seem to fine, Ed. Usually you're more focused on your work. Plus you're blushing." Hermione stated, a triumphant smile decorating her features.

Edward gave her a small mock glare before sighing in annoyance and leaning back onto two legs of his chair.

"It's these stupid dwarves and their valentines! I don't know who's doing this but I think it's the basta- I mean the _Weasley _twins." Edward growled.

Hermione stared at the blond in disbelief and shock. Did Ed really believe someone was pranking him? Hermione glanced over at Neville who was looking at the professor in slight confusion. Even Neville knew that it wasn't a prank! Hermione could hardly believe that Ed was really _this_ clueless.

"Um. Ed. These aren't pranks. These valentines are from, um, girls…" Hermione trailed off, disbelief filling the tone of her voice.

Edward stared at Hermione in wide-eyed disbelief. Finally, he gave a weak chuckle. "Hermione, I'm a _teacher_…"

"That doesn't mean anything. Look at Professor Lockheart!" Hermione butted in. "Girls think you're handsome so they send you things like this. Have you never noticed how some girls look at you, Ed?" Hermione continued. Neville merely nodded in agreement.

Edward snorted rudely at the mentions of Lockheart but her words did strike a chord. Now that Edward thought of it, he remembered how many of his older years' classes had many girls in them in the beginning but got kicked out for not doing their work. But maybe the truth of it was that-that girls found him…attractive? Edward wanted to scoff at the thought but it did make sense in a way. It explained the valentines and the girl-full classes in the beginning. What Edward didn't understand was why. He wasn't exactly the…the _tallest_ person out there, though he hated to admit it. Not only that but his body was crisscrossed with scars and he was missing two limbs! But, then again, those girls didn't know that. Yet, either way, he was _way_ too old for them.

"But I'm too old!" Edward told Hermione in confusion. "And no, I _haven't _noticed." He continued.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the childish way Edward was reacting. "You're only- what twenty-three? That's only six or seven years. Not to gross."

"And girls really do stare at you, Edward." Neville butted in nervously. "I hear them all the time at meals."

Edward groaned and rubbed his face. He didn't understand women.

He really, really didn't

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward groaned in annoyance and tiredness at the banging that assaulted his bedroom door. The only day he decided to go to bed early and someone was determined to wake him up. Not only that but he wasn't even trapped in a nightmare for once! Sometimes, Edward felt like the whole world was against him.

Ignoring the angry grumbles of the souls that echoed in his mind, Edward dragged himself out of bed.

"Hold on a second!" Edward snapped.

The banging instantly died down.

Edward yanked his lovely red coat over his shoulders to block his sleepwear and pulled on some gloves and socks. Making sure that no metal showed, Edward yanked open the door.

Much to his surprise, both Harry and Carrot-top were standing there. Both boys were sweating as if they've run a mile and were wide-eyed in fear and slight shock. Leaning against the door frame, Edward glared angrily at them.

"Why the hell are you two here? You woke me up!" Edward spat.

"We're sorry, professor but we have news about the Chamber!" Carrot-top panted.

Edward straightened up at the sound of this and the souls stopped grumbling, all of them falling silent for once.

"What'd you find out?" Edward gasped.

"It was Hagrid! Hagrid opened the Chamber fifty years ago!"

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Okay! I got one out! Told ya!**

**This was a bit more humorous of a chapter, I hope. I'm not very good at writing humour, but I tried my best!**

**Sorry it's a bit shorter, but things are starting to wrap up! There's only 2 more chapters left!**

**I'll try and get another chapter out before next weekend, but it matters on how much homework I get and such.**

**Anyway's, question time!**

**Kale Of The Dragons- Sorry, but Ed's friends aren't coming back.**

**Kazaru13- Ed is 667 years old**

**Anyways, thank you all for reading and please review! They motivate me!**


	15. Memories From Years Ago

**Disclaimer: I still do not own! Lucky for everyone, really. If I did own either FMA or HP both would probably suck.**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward growled as he flopped into his bed at Hogwarts. It was difficult traveling by port key every week to get into Europe so that he could help healing people in the war. People were ripped apart by gunfire, shot down in once-peaceful streets. Innocent Jews and others, such as the Slovaks, mentally incapable, and cripples were stolen from their homes and sent to concentration and death camps scattered about, living in unholy conditions until they died from overwork, beatings, malnutrition, or simply executed. _

_Edward violently shook himself out of his violent and horrifying thoughts. He needed to stop thinking such terrifying thoughts. Still, Edward felt disgusted that he was sitting on the side lines doing nothing. People were dying and all he was doing was teaching a bunch of brats about alchemy! Not like they needed it or cared, though. Wizards already had their magic, why did they need alchemy?_

_Rolling over, Edward shut his eyes tightly. He wanted to leave; he didn't want to be here any longer. There was no reason for him being here. None at all._

_Except he had a debt to be paid. Damn Dumbledore. Damn Grindlewald. _

_Edward snarled and twisted around in his bed a bit more, unable to get comfortable. It was bad enough he ended up getting kidnapped by Grindlewald and bad enough that he learned the hard way on how if he was hit by a killing curse, one of the souls inside him would die in his place, like it's always been. Yet, what made the entire situation frustrating was the fact that he had been "saved" by Dumbles when he was so close to breaking out._

_And now, he owed the man. Equivalent Exchange. _

_Sometimes, Edward really hated his belief._

_Yet, there was nothing to do about it now. Forget the past and look towards the future. It was the only way he had kept himself sane throughout all his years of bloodshed and sin. Keep moving forward and don't look back; there isn't a reason to look back._

_No one gained anything by remembering the past all the time anyways._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward sat down at his desk, the two Gryffindors grabbing the seats to some student desk and dragging them over to sit in front of him. Intertwining his fingers, Edward stared long and hard at the two students.

"What do you mean Hagrid 'opened the Chamber'?" Edward asked, struggling not to jump to any conclusions.

Harry and Carrot top looked at each other sheepishly, as if they were unsure about what they were to say.

"Well, I found this diary that appeared to be empty but it wasn't empty. I wrote in it and it showed me the past; how Hagrid was caught and expelled because he opened the Chamber!" Harry cried.

Edward looked dubiously at Harry. "Somehow, I highly doubt that."

Harry shook his head, images of what he saw filling his head.

"Here, let me describe it…"

~~0~~0~~0~~

_As the strange words disappeared from the page, Harry's world started to spin all around, faster, faster, and faster. Colors blurred together into streaks. Yet, these colors quickly became muted. Not entirely black and white, but the world did grow darker and everything around him became hazy. As the world grew less colorful and clear, Harry's wild spin slowed until finally reaching a full stop. Stumbling briefly, Harry struggled to keep everything spinning around his head. Shaking himself, Harry glanced around. He was in the headmaster's office, yet it was much different than what he remembered it to be. There were no silver contraptions or phoenix. This was a time before Dumbledore was headmaster._

_This was fifty years ago._

_Harry shook his head into focus once again as the door opened and a young student with black hair stepped inside. Before Harry could say anything or move, the student passed right through him. Shocked, Harry stumbled back some, quickly figuring this was a memory and he was nothing but a phantom._

"_You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" The dark-haired student asked._

"_Sit down." Dippet replied. "I just wanted to talk to you about your letter."_

"_Oh." Was, whom Harry assumed to be Riddle, answered. Riddle sat down, gripping his hands together tightly. _

"_My dear boy, I cannot possibly let you stay at school over the summer. Surely you want to go home for the holidays?"_

"_No," Riddle responded quickly." I'd much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that – to that-" _

~~0~~0~~0~~

"What does this have to do with the attacks?" Edward asked, irritated; interrupting Harry's story.

Harry frowned at the alchemy professor. "Let me finish it!"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Skip over this part with Professor Sit-and-dip."

Harry scowled lightly, but continued.

~~0~~0~~0~~

"_Sir – if this person was caught – if it all stopped –"_

"_What do you mean?" Squeaked Dippet. "Riddle, do you know something?" _

"_No sir." Riddle replied quickly, yet smoothly. Harry could easily tell that it was a lie._

_Dippet sank backward into his chair, looking disappointed._

"_You may go now." Dippet dismissed him somberly._

_Riddle left the headmaster, slipping out the door, down the spiral staircase, and into the hallway. Starting down the hallway on silent feet, Riddle had his brow furrowed and a small frown settled deep into his youthful face. Riddle was thinking hard about something, though Harry had no clue on what it could be. _

_Reaching the entrance hall, a loud voice rang out_

"_Mr. Riddle, what are you doing wandering about?" _

_Harry looked at the teacher. It was obvious that he was a much older teacher and no longer worked at Hogwarts as Harry didn't recognize him. Though the world was draped in muted colors and shadows, Harry could easily see that the man had short brown hair. His eyes were a muddy brown color; they held an obvious sharpness along with a strange sorrow that Harry couldn't place. Though the professor had average features, what shocked Harry was the fact that the man wasn't wearing wizarding clothes. Instead he wore a white shirt with brown vest, brown trousers, along with an equally brown trench coat that hung to his ankles. Finishing the look with nice dress shoes, the man's clothes practically screamed 'Muggle.' So what was he doing here? Harry was intrigued. _

"_I had to go see the headmaster, Professor Eichel."_

_Professor Eichel cocked a suspicious eyebrow. Even though Harry was witnessing a memory and couldn't be seen, Eichel had a powerful presence with eyes that radiated authority. Harry watched Riddle twitch slightly in distress, but did nothing else._

"_I see. Well, best get back to your Common room. Don't want any more tragedies happening." He growled. Though Eichel's demeanor hadn't changed, there was a certain heaviness in his eyes that Harry couldn't place._

_Riddle nodded politely. "Of course, sir."_

_Riddle strode past the professor with confident steps. Though Harry wanted to observe the strange man in muggle clothes a bit more, he was forced to follow Riddle. Still, the man reminded him of someone, though Harry didn't know who._

_Riddle disappeared down into the dungeons, walking a familiar path that Harry hated. Staring at his Potions class door, Riddle swung it open with flourish. Slipping into the room, Riddle went behind the door, waiting._

_Harry stood in the room for what felt like hours before he heard the shuffling of feet and low whispers. _

"_C'mon…gotta get yeh outta here…C'mon now…in the box…"_

_Turning around, Harry was surprised to see Hagrid with a large box and even more surprised when Riddle jumped out from behind the door. _

"_Evening, Rubeus." Riddle said sharply. _

_Hagrid slammed the lid of his box down and whirled around in shock._

"_Tom? What yer doin' here?"_

"_It's all over, Rubeus. I'm turning you in. I'm sure you didn't mean for anyone to get killed…"_

"_what d'yeh-" Hagrid interrupted._

"_But they're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop." Riddle continued, voice amplifying to cut off Hagrid's cries of protest._

"_It never killed no one!" Hagrid butted in, struggling to defend himself._

_The box in Hagrid's oversized hands shifted a bit, a strange clicking coming from it._

"_Come on, Rubeus. The dead girl's parents are going to be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is slaughter the beast that killed their daughter…" _

"_It wasn't him!" Hagrid's voice echoed loudly in the dungeon, filled with hopelessness and a growing panic. "He wouldn't! He never!"_

_Riddle drew his wand. "Stand aside."_

_A bright flash lit up the dim room, knocking Hagrid's box from his hands. A largest, fuzzy, _thing_ scuttled around, its eight legs struggling not to entangle themselves while its eight eyes shined in the dark with fear and panic. The slipped around Riddle and scurried down the passageway. Whipping around, Riddle raised his wand, preparing an attack. Yet, before the boy could utter a spell, a large "Nooooo!" Shattered the stillness of the air and Riddle was flung to the ground by a large boy…_

_That's when Harry's world started spinning again. Muted colors started becoming brighter while reality became clear and focused, no longer hazy. Closing his eyes tightly. Harry waited until everything felt still. Cracking an eye open, Harry stared around at his familiar surroundings._

_He was back. _

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward could only sit there in shock.

He remembered that day. The memory was fuzzy, but he could recall talking briefly to Riddle before taking a port key to Europe to sort out messes there. Though he had tried to handle the attacks at Hogwarts, he had been struggling to help Europe as well. It felt like a two-front war. No matter which side he helped; Europe or Hogwarts, someone got hurt. He had been fighting a losing battle.

Edward knew a student was expelled because of the dead girl, though he never figured out who it was. Apparently that information was kept under wraps and he had been much too busy.

Yet, Edward could see how the pieces were forming together. Like a puzzle, the picture was slowly becoming clear and defined. It was no longer a jumble of colorful pieces with no rhyme or reason. The only issue was the hideous picture the puzzle was making.

Edward gave the two Gryffindors a sharp look.

First was the fact that the Chamber of secrets was opened fifty years ago. Someone died. Someone was expelled. Now, the Chamber was reopened. Once again, something was attacking the students, paralyzing them. That thing was a Basilisk.

The new information gained was that _Hagrid _opened the Chamber. But Hagrid was a Gryffindor and he wasn't a pureblood. If what he read about the Chamber was true, then Hagrid couldn't open the Chamber. On top of that, Edward knew what a killer looked like.

Hagrid was no killer. He was far too kind.

So, the same questions still remain. Who opened the chamber fifty years ago? How is the basilisk moving about? Who was opening the Chamber now?

But another question was…

"Who did the diary belong to?" Edward asked. He had a pretty idea who it was, but Edward learned a long time ago to never assume things before there was absolute proof.

"Some guy called Tom Riddle." Harry answered.

Edward jumped slightly when he heard that name, his eyes widening a fraction.

"Tom Riddle?" He asked, incredulous.

Harry merely nodded.

Edward studied Harry intently. By the looks of it, Harry didn't know who Tom Riddle was. Not only that, he met a diary that held the psycho's memories. This was troubling.

"Harry, get me that diary in the morning. I want to examine it." Edward ordered.

"Will do, Professor!" He responded.

As the boys turned to leave, Edward asked, "Do either of you know what the monster is?"

Both boys shook their heads.

Edward grimaced.

"It's called a Basilisk."

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward's eyes dashed over the pages, reading about the Chamber and basilisks as fast as he could. Things were falling into place even more now that he got proper time to think and study. Tom Riddle…Hagrid…A dead girl…a diary…everything was coming together and this time, Edward will be able to stop a tragedy. He knows he will.

Edward was so absorbed in his work per usual that he didn't notice his classroom door get flung open with a worried and panicked Harry. Edward still didn't notice the young student until he felt someone lightly rap their knuckles against the top of his head. Glaring upwards, Edward met the eyes of a very worried Harry Potter.

"Potter, I'm working. What?" Edward growled.

"T-the diary! It's gone!" Harry cried out.

"Gone? What do you mean 'gone?'" Edward spluttered, dropping his pen.

Harry nodded very quickly; his glasses almost sliding off his nose. "My dorm was torn to shreds and the diary was taken!"

Edward's lip curled up into an angry sneer. The implications this news was making…

"Harry, are you positive that only Gryffindors can go into the Gryffindor common room?"

"Yes sir!" Harry responded.

Edward frowned deeply.

"Sir, you don't mean to say-" Harry started, slowly understanding the gravity of the situation.

"The only ones who knew you had the diary were your friends and me, correct?"

Harry gave another slightly panicked yes.

Edward leaned back in his chair, his shoulders tensed up as if preparing for an attack.

"That means someone let the information slip. And the only person who would want the diary would be-" Edward started to state.

"-Would be the culprit!" Harry finished, pride and slight fear evident in his voice. "But that would also mean-!"

Edward nodded slowly. "The person who's attacking the students is in Gryffindor."

Clarification had never hit Harry so hard. One of his own housemates was attacking and aiming to _kill_.

Seeing Harry's horrified expression, Edward tried to calm him with no much luck.

"Don't worry, Harry. We'll figure something out and catch the person. Then they'll probably rot in jail and everything will be fine!" Edward reassured.

Needless to say, it didn't work at all. Actually, Harry felt worse after hearing what the professor said and his eyes mirrored this perfectly.

"But who's doing it?" Harry questioned.

"That's a good question. Another one is how is a big-ass snake slithering around without anyone noticing?" Edward returned.

Harry shrugged.

Glancing at the time, Harry blanched. "Oh no! I'm going to be late for Quidditch!" Whipping around, the boy swung the door open and dashed out into the hallway, not wanting to get bashed by Wood for being late.

Edward shook his head in exasperation. Students were in danger and the boy was still worried about a dumb sport?

Like with women, Edward didn't understand some students. Not at all.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward slipped another heavy tomb off the shelf, flickering through the pages to see if the book held anything of interest. Seeing nothing worth noting, he placed to book back a grabbed another one. Now that most of the students were watching the Quidditch game, it gave Edward plenty of time to look for information in peace. Normally, Edward always had to dodge studious students looking for books or questioning from others about trivial things. Now that he thought about it, a large portion of students who came up to him asking pointless questions were girls…

Edward shook his head violently, fearful shivers climbing down his spine. No. No girls. Ever. Not only were they _students_ but he was hundreds of years old! That would be…nasty. Grossness of the extreme level. He didn't even want to _think_ about it.

Banishing the disturbing thoughts from his poor mind, Edward went back to looking at books, vaguely aware of the many soul's suggestions.

"_Choose that one, it's really old looking."_

"_Pick that one. I like the title."_

"_Don't listen to her! That one looks extra dusty."_

"_But that one has a cool color."_

"_Get the red colored book. It's our favorite color."_

"_That one looks interesting."_

"_No it doesn't."_

"_Yes it does!"_

Edward scowled angrily. _If you're not being serious, stop it! I'm trying to focus and none of you are helping me! _He 'said' back at them. The souls, as always, either giggle, snorted, grumbled, and several other noises telling him of their emotions. Edward rolled his eyes and shoved their constant whispers to the back of his mind. He can focus on them later. For now he needed to accomplish the task he had now.

Just as Edward was falling back into his normal pattern of grabbing books, shifting through them, and placing the unwanted ones back, a large, fearful and familiar scream pierced the still and quiet calm, filling the library with its sound.

Wasting no time, Edward dropped all the books he had and sped towards the noise.

Hermione was in danger.

By the sound of her scream, Hermione sounded as if she was outside the library doors. Trying his best to not knock over any bookcases that happened to be in his way, Edward rushed to help the poor student, glad that he wasn't too deep in the library. Bursting out the doors, Edward almost tripped over a still but warm body lying stiffly on the ground.

Edward fell to his knees and lightly prodded Hermione. She was still alive, no doubt about that and the fall from being paralyzed didn't seem to break any bones, luckily enough. Edward stared down at the bushy-haired girl with both sorrow and a hint of pride. Hermione had a shocked look etched onto her features. But what made Edward feel a touch of pride was the small mirror gripped in her hand, perfect for checking around corners or behind herself for attacks.

Edward shook his head. Hermione was pretty clever. He had no idea why she was in Gryffindor. She should be in Ravenclaw.

As Edward gathered the fallen student in his arms and lifted her to carry her to the hospital wing, a frazzled Madam Pince scurried up next to him, her normally narrowed stern eyes widened in horror.

"Professor Elric! What is going on!" She cried.

Edward gave her a sharp look for asking such a stupid question but he didn't miss a beat. "Another attack, I'm afraid."

Pince stared at Hermione in pity and sadness. "You best get her to the hospital wing. I'll go inform Minerva." With that being said, he hopped up to her feet and scurried off to inform the stern Gryffindor head of house.

Carefully gripping Hermione, Edward rushed down the hallway, rage filling his veins. Hermione was attacked. She was paralyzed.

At least she wasn't dead.

Even then, a fucking snake was going around attacking students and now that idiotic beast attacked Hermione. Close-minded, clever, and sweet Hermione. Edward let out a snarl.

There will be hell to pay.

~~0~~0~~0~~

***Flails around slightly* Ugh! So short! Wayyy too short! (like Ed!)**

**I wanted to make this longer, I really, really did! But it's been almost a (school) week since I updated last and so many people left awesome reviews that I felt bad! So, I shaved some stuff off this chapter so now the last chapter will most likely be extra long. Hooray! **

**Now, again, sorry for not updating sooner (and giving out a short update) Like last week, I was insanely busy for whatever reason. English class decided to make us read a book and annotate it (Pure torture! Plus ruining a perfectly good book forever!) And I had to finish up that paper on obamacare (which sucks, by the way.) On top of that a bunch of personal issues popped up so I had to deal with that...**

**Ugh. Okay. Rant over.**

**Next chapter, you ask? Might take...a week? Maybe two? something like that? School is really picking up... At least it will be the finale of this book, so it is going to be extra long and extra awesome (with actual action for once!)**

**Okay. Question answering time!**

**Krazyfanfiction1: I wouldn't say ALL the souls...Just wait and see! Not all Human Transmutation requires souls; most the time it does (or so it seems) mainly, its just immoral and unethical. And no, the Stone is known to be a "perfect substance" so it can't be pulled apart like that (unless it's being used, but thats different!)**

**Hanmac: Haven't really gave much thought to Nina...maybe he will!**

**PoorlyThoughtOutPlan: No! I will never abandon this story! It's my baby! (Okay, thats kinda creepy) But still. I won't abandon this! I swear.**

**Haha, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I thank all you beautiful people for reading this. As always, if you have time to drop a review, please do! Reading what y'all say about this story is like a christmas present!**

**(What the...? Really long A/N! Oops!)**


	16. And Crack Goes His Head

**Disclaimer: Once again, I shall never own!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward let out a snarl. He was done. Done with wizards. Done with people. Done with _everything_. Humans were so…weak. And bloodthirsty. And cruel. And…_

_No. That wasn't right. Humans were amazing. Creatures that can create such beautiful things. That can learn and love. Beautiful thing, humanity is…_

_Yet there are some cruel beasts in the shape of humans. Monsters in human form._

_And Tom Riddle was one of them._

_How could he fail? After seven years of struggle; watching over Riddle and helping people on the front lines of war, how could he fail? He had it balanced, the war explosively ended, (unfortunately) everything was supposed to pick up from here. _

_The war was supposed to end, people were to celebrate, Tom Riddle to go off and do something good for his ministry. _

_Two cities shouldn't be _gone.

_The world shouldn't be sick and in debt._

_Tom Riddle shouldn't be Lord Voldemort._

_None of this should've happened. None of it. He should've been able to stop it._

_But he couldn't. He couldn't stop the atomic bombs. He couldn't stop the breakout of the flu. He couldn't stop Riddle._

_Edward couldn't prevent these things from happening. _

_And he was done. Done with everything._

_Yet, here he was, sitting in a makeshift hospital and trying to get rid of the sickness that was claiming so many lives all around the world. Even when he was done, he really wasn't done. _

_Not by a long shot._

_Why did so many people have to suffer? He could've done something before. Now he's just trying to pick up shattered pieces and gluing them back together with no success. _

_At least he wasn't the only one picking up the pieces this time. At least this tragedy soaked in blood and tears weren't only his mess. _

_Because the souls inside him were right. Those tinny voices constantly whispering in the back of his mind to one another were correct. _

_He couldn't have stopped the complete annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. _

_He couldn't prevent the mass outbreak of the flu._

_He couldn't prevent Tom Riddle turning into Lord Voldemort._

_But he could help. No more two-front wars. _

_He was done with wizards. Done with the lot of them. _

_Their culture, awash in racism and corruption. _

_He was done. He had too much to do with the rest of the world. Wizards have powers. The rest of the world didn't._

_Edward squeezed his eyes shut. He had a feeling he might regret this decision later on. He really, really did. But there was nothing he could do. Wizards could save themselves. They've done it before. Lord Voldemort was just another Grindlewald. In a few years, he'll be gone, a blip on the entirety of Wizarding history._

_A small speck of dust._

_Because that's all anyone is, really._

_A small speck of dust. And specks can't change the world._

_And by that logic, he couldn't change the world, either._

_But he was also the Philosopher's Stone._

_Philosopher's Stone…he had never admitted it. Never in his head and never out loud. Until today, in the stillness of his thoughts with him working tirelessly with sick patients can he admit it. Admit it and not feel absolutely disgusted._

_He was the stone._

_If he was the stone, then he wasn't a speck. He was many specks, millions upon millions. So many specks._

_Maybe one speck couldn't change the world. But many specks together create a _movement_ and movements change the world; shakes it to its core. _

_Just look at the dead Nazi party. _

_He was a movement. A storm that had the power to change the world. _

_His time with the wizards was over. He had to focus one world. _

_And he chose this one._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward looked down at Hermione in worry. Harry and Carrot-top had just left, both boys having been distraught over what happened to the poor bushy-haired Gryffindor. Staring down at her frozen body, it was hard to tell she was alive; if she had ever been alive.

Edward shook his head slowly. If only he could use his alchemy to get her out of this state, he would do it without second thoughts but he didn't know how the brain works; didn't understand how something so complex could be real. If he did try to preform Human Transmutation on something so fragile, he would, no doubt about it, get something wrong and not only Hermione, but the souls within him, would be hurt, hell, even dead. Edward couldn't do a damn thing but sit and wait until the antidote was complete.

Edward was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard the doors of the Hospital wing were thrown open. Turning his head, Edward watched a worried Malfoy scurry over to him, his normally pale face flushed slightly with heat, small beads of sweat running down his face. Edward raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He wasn't all that surprised that Malfoy was worried. After all the forced time he had made the boy spend with Hermione, it was only natural for the kid to feel acquainted with her enough to be worried for her well-being.

What he was surprised about, however, was the fact that Malfoy was still not used to running; his rapid pants of air and flushing face proving this. After winter started, Edward figured out another exercising program; all his students were to empty their desks then run their desks up and down the corridor until he released them. As it turned out, many students quickly grew to hate him because of this. It also didn't help that Edward would sit on the desk of a slacker and force the poor student with both glare and voice to push him around a few laps. What made _this _even worse was the unknown heavy automail that he supported. Edward had to admit though, it did make him laugh.

Malfoy gripped his knees as he doubled over panting. "I-I *gasp* heard that Hermione *gasp*was paralyzed!" He choked out.

Edward's lips pressed into a bitter line. "Yeah. Outside the library. She was very lucky."

Malfoy stared down at the fallen girl in a strange mixture of sadness, pity, worry, and anger. Edward recognized all these emotions well. He had worn a look like that before many times.

Edward put a comforting hand on Malfoy's shoulder as said boy wrung his hands together nervously, glancing around out of the corner of his eye as if he was doing something he wasn't supposed to do.

_Of course. He was out after curfew visiting a girl that many Slytherins hated because of her blood._ Edward thought.

"She'll be alright, right sir?" Malfoy asked, returning his gaze to the frozen girl.

Edward gave a short, thoughtful nod. This, this was good. Already it seemed that he decreased the racism Malfoy held. It was wonderful.

Malfoy looked relieved as he continued staring at Hermione. Shaking his head, the young Slytherin turned away.

"I'll see you later, sir." Malfoy said as he turned to leave.

Edward quickly grabbed the boy gently by his bicep and turned him around. "Malfoy, as long as your with me, you won't get caught. Isn't it a better decision to stick around instead of ending up in detention?"

Malfoy just nodded. Somehow, the young student had a feeling that the golden-eyed teacher wanted to ask him something, but he wasn't sure what.

"Malfoy." Edward licked his chapped lips; he had to be careful on how he worded what he was going to ask. "Would you consider Hermione your…acquaintance?"

Malfoy jumped slightly at the question, an incredulous look plastered onto his face. "Acquaintances? Um, I don't…um…"

"It's a basic 'yes' or 'no' question, Mr. Malfoy. Are you acquainted with Miss Granger or are you not?"

Malfoy chewed on the inside of his cheek, both answers dancing and twirling within his mind and on the tip of his tongue. He didn't-_couldn't_ answer. He didn't know! He didn't know what to believe anymore! His father…or Elric? Both were right…both were wrong. He couldn't choose!

"It's-I, um, I…_I don't know!_" Malfoy stuttered, his eyes flashing in confusion, his voice raw with rage.

Edward visibly deflated, though the young Slytherin couldn't tell whether it be from disappointment or acceptance.

Edward stayed silent for a few beats until finally uttering, "I see."

Malfoy stared at the floor, the rage draining out of him, leaving cold and still confusion behind.

"Let me walk you back to your common room. We don't want anything bad happening now, do we?" Edward stated, his voice completely neutral.

Malfoy said nothing as he trailed behind the alchemy professor, the boy's thoughts still in turmoil.

_Granger…no, _Hermione _is a person. Not a mudblood. She has normal blood. It's the same as mine. Red. Liquid. Gross. But father always said that people-no-creatures like her were dirty and unfit; he put mudbl-_muggleborns_ down. Said that they didn't deserve to be wizards; all they did was dilute pure blood into something tainted, something dirty. Father said they are not really even worthy to call human. But…Hermione is just like me. Like Elric. Like everyone I've ever met. She's different, that's for sure but still human. Muggleborn…or pure. It…does it matter? Elric is always so…smart. He seems to know everything. But I _have _to follow my father. Follow so I won't be a disappointment. Follow so I don't fail. I don't want to fail. I don't want to be an outcast to my own family! But, they might be…wrong. My family…is…racist._

_Racist. Such an ugly word. A horrible word. Wizards versus Muggles. Racism._

_I…don't want to be like that…_

"We're here." Edward's voice spoke up, out of the shadows of the night. Malfoy jumped, not expecting the breaking of the barrier of silence that had sprang up as the twosome walked to the Slytherin common room.

Malfoy nodded his thanks as he spoke his password to get into the room. Edward watched from the shadows of the torchlight; observing Malfoy's tensed shoulders and the stiff way he walked.

Edward turned around. He had made sure the Slytherin boy wouldn't get attacked or in trouble by wandering about. His work was done here.

Yet, as Edward turned and started walking away, he heard the faint tinkle of an unsure, yet slightly hopeful voice whisper through the still night air, cutting into Edward's ears and causing a slight smile to lift on the man's face.

"Maybe. Just maybe."

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward watched as his fourth years piled into the classroom, excitement clear on some faces, such as the Bastard Twins, others, however, only had a small look of dread; already anticipating the exercise half of the class.

Edward sat at his desk, looking at the research papers scattered across the no longer seeable wood. The papers dealt with all kinds of theories he's been toying with; high-speed space travel, medical alchemy, the Gate, time travel, magic theory, and, of course, the Chamber of Secrets to top everything off, literally.

Edward ripped his eyes away from the tantalizing papers, not really wanting to teach. Like all his other classes, many students still haven't passed the simple test of carving a small statue in their wooden blocks. It frustrated him that he actually had to watch his students instead of drown himself in research like he usually did.

It frustrated him even more that the Bastard Twins kept calling out random questions and bothered other students. The two twins were _terrible _at alchemy. How they were still in his class, Edward will never know. Somehow, the twins were _barely_ able to pass everything, keeping themselves firmly in his class. And Edward hated it.

"Same old same old. If you haven't completed your statue, work on it. Everyone else, either study or sit there and do nothing." Edward stated, going back into his research with little hope for no interruption.

"Professor! Professor Elric!" Two voices sang out not even five minutes after Edward had given his orders.

Edward gripped his pen tighter in his left hand, feeling the strange mixture of annoyance and mirth build up inside him. At the same time, the souls within him either laughed, snorted, grumbled, or ignored the twins; their collective conscience reverberating within the confines of his mind.

"What is it?" Edward grounded out.

"Is it true that you won a staring contest with a troll?"

"And an eating contest with a dragon?"

"And a-"

"No! None of that is true! Where do you brats come up with these dumbass rumors? Stop being idiots and get to work! Neither of you have completed your statues." Edward snapped at the twins, anger pulsating from the man.

As always, the twins were thrown into bubbling giggles at the use of curse words why the rest of the class either ignored the exchange or rolled their eyes; some in amusement and others in annoyance. It was a sad fact that everyone else had already got use to the fighting between the professor and the twins.

Meanwhile, Edward rolled his eyes at the giggles the twins let out. For whatever reason, the Bastard Twins found it absolutely hilarious when he cursed, yelled, or any other sort of activity that displayed his displeasure and Edward didn't understand why. What was so funny about a pissed off teacher? Most students cowered before him when faced with his wrath. Not the Bastard Twins, unfortunately.

The twins gave each other knowing glances before redrawing their circles for the sixth time. The twins still had issues drawing circles most the time due to their attention span, which was very lacking compared to most of the students taking the class.

Edward couldn't help but wonder why the twins were still in his class. He could just kick them out if he wished, but something was holding him back. But what?

Edward didn't know and most likely never will. Banishing the thought from his mind, he turned back to the work splayed over the table, ready to dive back into work once more.

It didn't seem to long until he heard multiple gasps of happiness and surprise. Glancing up slightly,, Edward was both proud and irritated; he wasn't able to drown himself in work. Ever since the prank, Edward couldn't fully concentrate on a project with the Bastard Twins in the same room; he was too paranoid and what idiocy the twosome might get into.

Edward looked at the happiness stained onto a number of successful student's faces. Each one was glowing with a mixture of pride and delight. The positive feelings radiated out word, filling the air with a sense of joy, along with electric blue flashes of alchemy, lighting up these faces.

Turning to observe the students, Edward was slightly surprised at the twins.

Both were cradling matching statues of themselves. Though they both had the same circles as everyone else, Edward noted that they're statues were more detailed than what he had expected. Getting up, Edward wandered over to where the twins were sitting. Approaching the brothers, Edward didn't fail to notice the shit-eating grins on each face. Without saying anything, he took both statues from the two, inspecting the details.

Though the miniature Bastard Twins were just standing, not doing anything, the two statues were mostly proportional, the only problem being the feet slightly big, though that was most likely done on purpose to help them stand. As for the smaller detail, it was more advanced than what Edward thought the twins were capable of. Both statues had small bumpy noses and small dents for eyes, though lacking a mouth. The hair was clear, though there were no strands, Edward could clearly see the small hints of the top of the ear, As for clothing, both twins were wearing standard Hogwarts garb; only forgoing small pieces such as the buttons and like.

All in all, both statues were a success.

Edward closed his eyes and turned his head away. "Good work, boys. Nice detail. Can't believe I'm saying this but…you pass."

The twins exchanged grins with each other. Though the professor was turned away, both boys could clearly see the small hint of a smile.

"Thank you professor!" They chorused.

Edward waved his hand as he walked around the room after giving the statues back, observing other statues, pride welling up within him from his student's success.

He observed many statues. Such as dogs, cats, horses, and even a try at a dragon; the student crafted the general body and wing shape of the creature, only lacking things such as a face and scales. Still, the Hufflepuff did a good job and Edward couldn't help but praise him graciously as well.

The time was flying fast in Edward's class and before long; it was time for exercise once again. It was getting warmer outside, but the ground and air still held traces of bitter cold so he found that staying inside was the much better option.

"Okay everyone! Put your stuff against the wall and start moving your desk. Up and down the corridor as always."

Edward watched in amusement as joy leaked out of the room. Even the eleven successful students of today deflated, minus the Bastard Twins of course. The two were still smiling and appeared to be having a grand old time, though Edward wasn't sure why.

Students muttered complaints and obscenities under their breaths as they moved their stuff and started taking turns moving desks out in the hallway. Though Edward's fourth years had much more strength than his second years, the class still found that pushing a heavy wooden desk around was hard work.

Edward grinned slightly. He had an idea. "By the way, if you were successful today in making a statue, you only have to do ten laps with the desk instead of until the end of class."

Amusement flashed in his eyes as the successful students immediately perked up while the others stared on in jealousy. Taking a glance at the Bastard Twins, Edward wasn't surprised to see the identical shit-eating grins back on their faces.

As Edward moved out of the classroom behind his students, he took a couple of quick peeks down each side of the corridor. No other teachers were around. All the extra classrooms around him were empty. It was perfect.

"Same old same old. Push until the corridor curves then to the other side. That's one lap. No talking as always. No breaks. Break these rules and I'll _make_ you do more laps." Edward threatened in monotone. With that being said, the students started on pushing their desks, discontent written all over their body language and facial expressions."

"Weasley twins, wipe that shit-eating grin off your faces or both of you will have to push your desk along with _me_." Edward snapped, slight mirth in his voice. The souls laughed, many of them counting down.

_Three._

_Two._

_One._

Laughter burst out of the twins, both of them stopping to gasp in needed air.

"Did I tell you to stop? Get back to work, Bastard Twins!"

Edward couldn't conceal his grin as the two boys laughed even harder.

Those Bastard Twins truly were strange.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward leaned back in his chair, content on his face. Today he didn't have to patrol the hallways and now he could simply sit back, relax, and research. After a day with Bastard Twins, unruly students, and the constant whisperings that Harry was opening the chamber, he deserved a break from bratty students.

Yet, as Edward leaned down to start, the door creaked open before shutting quickly again. Glancing up, Edward didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but he could clearly hear the snuffling sounds of shoes tapping the floor and breaths of air.

Edward widened his eyes as a silvery cloak fell to the ground revealing Harry and Carrot-top. Before the boys uttered a word, Edward's mind was racing.

_A charm? No, they were invisible. But how? What's equivalent to being invisible? And why a cloak? No, how a cloak. How does it work? Does it wear off? When did they get this? It has to be rare; I've never seen anything like it…_

"Professor! Professor Elric!" Harry whisper-yelled.

Edward started, his mind shaken from the onslaught of ideas. "What is it? This better be important!"

Harry and Carrot-top exchanged glances before diving into their story.

"Last night, we went to see Hagrid to see if he had any more information about the chamber." Harry started.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Hagrid didn't open it. I thought we already discussed this!"

"We know, but you can never be too sure." Carrot-top replied.

Edward grumbled, but gestured for the two to continue.

"But, Fudge was there!" Harry continued.

Edward cocked an eyebrow. "What does dessert have to do with _anything_?"

"Not that type of fudge. Fudge, the Minister of Magic!" Carrot-top butted in.

"Whatever!" Edward muttered.

"Anyways." Harry started up again, slight agitation on his face. "Fudge was there. We hid under the invisibility cloak and-"

"Invisibility cloak?" Edward questioned, eyes alight in curiosity.

Harry nodded. "It makes the wearer invisible."

"How does it work? Is it only people that can be invisible? How does it know if someone's underneath it? How-" Edward questioned.

Harry stamped his foot some, irritated that he could seem to finish his story. "I don't know! Anyways, we hid and Hagrid was taken away!"

"Taken away?" Edward asked sharply, his mood turning deadly serious fast. "To where?"

"Azkaban." Carrot-top muttered

"But Alcatraz is in America and isn't for wizards, last time I checked …" Edward trailed off in confusion.

Harry and Carrot-top stared at the professor in confusion, having no clue on what he was talking about.

"Azkaban, Professor." Harry corrected.

Edward growled. If Azkaban is anything like Alcatraz, then there was going to be a problem. Hagrid is innocent!

"They don't have any proof! They can't take an innocent man in!" Edward yelled in anger.

Harry paled. "But they did. And that's not even the worse part.

"What could be worse?" Edward groaned.

"Dumbledore's gone too! He was suspended!" Carrot-top cried out.

_SLAM!_

Both boys jumped at the sound of a fist punching wood. Edward had punched the table hard with his right fist. Glancing down, he quickly put his arm over the dent, not wanting the inquisitive students asking dangerous questions.

But that was beside the point. Dumbles was a manipulative bastard, creepy, and given way too much credit for what he's worth, but Edward had to admit that the man certainly had a presence and knew how to keep people in line as well as safe. Without him here, it was certain someone was going to die. Abso-fucking-lutly positive. And it pissed Edward off.

"Is everyone in this government fucking stupid!? I swear to _God_ I'll fucking punch that dumbass Minister in the face so hard that he'll have to eat with his ass from now on!" Edward raged.

Both students flinched; neither of them has seen the professor so mad before.

"Sir." Harry piped up a few beats later, wanting to shake the man from his anger.

"What?" Edward barked.

Harry sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, the boy continued. "Nothing. We better get back to our dorms." He directed lastly towards Carrot-top.

Carrot-top nodded. After both boys gave tentative goodbyes to the alchemy professor, they disappeared under the strange cloak and left, the door closing too loudly in the quiet air.

Edward groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Why was everyone such an idiot?

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward growled as he crumpled up another piece of paper and thrust it into his pocket. He couldn't believe with all the shit that's been happening exams were still going to be taken. It was ludicrous! What was probably even worse was the fact that because he had figured exams were going to be cancelled; he hadn't thought what was going to be on his own exam! Now he was scrambling to create an exam that students could take.

"Professor Elric, what on _earth _are you up to now?" A voice rang out above him.

Edward turned his eyes upward to see a stern-looking Professor McGonagall hovering above him. Already the souls inside him were shaking with their own emotions. Mostly amusement but with others such as annoyance, fear, and the like.

"Um…nothing?" He said, sheepishly. Somehow Edward knew that if he told McGonagall that he was planning his exam only a handful of days before students were to take it, he wouldn't be very well received by the stern witch.

"I find that hard to believe. You're always up to something, usually not within school rules." She barked at him, a small twinkle of mirth in her eyes.

Edward rolled his eyes. She was _still_ bothered by the year-long detention? Really, she had to get over that.

"What? I always follow the school rules." Edward said back. The souls inside him roared with laughter, so loud that Edward had a hard time hearing McGonagall's reply.

"I really doubt that. Really, Professor Elric. I know you're only twenty-three but can you _try_ to act your age?" With that rhetorical question being asked, McGonagall turned away to address the student body.

As McGonagall told the excitable student body about the mandrakes, Edward couldn't help but laugh to himself a bit, along with the souls. If he did act his age, he would be like Hohenheim, the rotten, poor excuse for a father, bastard.

Even after a few hundred years, Edward didn't like his father. Leaving his mother and two sons because he was, literally, rotting away and was too ashamed to admit it was cowardly. Yet, despite his low feelings for his bastard father, Edward couldn't help but wonder if the old man was still alive on the other side of the Gate. He _had_ been dying after all. Shaking his head, Edward put another tight clamp on his thoughts. No use in looking back into the past. Doesn't matter anymore.

Standing up, Edward left the Great Hall, making his way to his classroom. He, regrettably had exams to plan after all.

~~0~~0~~0~~

_All students to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please._

McGonagall's magnified voice broke Edward from his lull of boredom of figuring out his exam. He wanted to give each year a completely different exam to prevent cheating. It was a tedious task and Edward couldn't help but feel slightly grateful that McGonagall was calling out to everyone.

Jumping up to his feet, Edward made his way to the staff room, his gratefulness melting into worry. This couldn't be good, Edward just knew it. All he could hope for was that no one has died. No deaths. Not while he was around.

Throwing the door open, Edward stepped in the staff room. All the other teachers were already there, though it appeared that he got there just in the nick of time.

"As I was saying." McGonagall started up again, having been interrupted by Edward's abrupt entrance. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."

A mixture of reactions came from the collected teachers. Flitwick let out a squeal, Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth, too shocked to say anything, Severus gripped the back of his chair hard, a dark look entering his eyes, and Edward let out a string of colorful obscenities.

After Edward's long speech of curses, Severus piped up, "How can you be sure?"

"The Heir of Slytherin," started McGonagall, her face a deathly shade of white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. _'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.'_"

Flitwick burst into tears while Edward let another string of obscenities fly.

"Who is it?" Madam Hooch croaked out, falling weak-kneed into a nearby chair. "Which student?"

"Ginny Weasley." McGonagall said. "We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow. This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…"

BANG!

The collected teachers turned around, watching as Lockheart swagger into the staff room, a cheery smile forever plastered onto his face.

"So sorry - dozed off - what have I missed?"

Madam Hooch and Sprout found themselves holding Edward back from punching the man in the jaw a second time, both professors relieved that their reflexes had been fast enough to hold the obvious emotional teacher back.

"Professor Elric control yourself! We don't have time for childish games right now!" McGonagall snapped at the golden-eyed teacher.

Edward relaxed himself into a nearby chair, muttering curses at the second blond. Madam Hooch and Sprout sunk into chairs next to him; though they greatly disliked Lockheart, violence didn't solve anything.

Severus nodded at McGonagall before stepping forward to address Lockheart. "Just the man. The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockheart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

Lockheart stared at Severus, completely flabbergasted.

"That's right, Gilderoy." Added Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"I – well – I" Spluttered Lockheart.

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" added Flitwick.

"D-did I? I don't recall –"

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry that you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested." Severus slipped in, nodding his head lightly. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled and that you should've been given free rein at the start?

"I – I never – you may have all just misunderstood – "

"Oh, and weren't you going on and on about all the amazing things you have done, Lockheart? Surly a mere beast in an old castle is nothing for someone like you." Edward added in quickly, seeing what the other teachers were doing and wanting to make Lockheart squirm a bit himself.

"Well, yes – b-but that is – different –"

"We'll leave you too it, Gilderoy. Tonight will be an excellent night to do it. We'll make sure everyone is out of the way so you can tackle the monster by yourself. Free rein at last." McGonagall finished.

Lockheart glanced around, desperate for some help from some teacher around him. Seeing no hope coming, Lockheart seemed to have shrunk in on himself, becoming weak and feeble in a matter of seconds.

"V-very well. I'll-I'll be in my office, getting-getting ready." He stuttered before leaving the room.

Mcgonagall gave a sigh of relief.

"That's got him out from under our feet. Heads of houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. The rest of you make sure that the students aren't out of their dormitories." She sighed, voice somber.

The teachers nodded and left the room one by one. All of them, including Edward, unaware of the two eavesdropping students staring at each other with wide eyes in a nearby cabinet.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward was surprised to say the least. He had been walking down the corridor, brooding about the Chamber, the Weasley girl, and much more, along with the souls in his head telling him constant and random things; from reassuring him that he couldn't of saved her in time and it wasn't his fault that she got kidnapped, (which was not helping whatsoever) musings about the Chamber and where it could be, and his favorite topic, how he would kick the monster's ass to hell and back.

Walking and brooding, Edward wasn't expecting for an invisible…_something_ slam into him and knock him down onto the ground, along with two pre-teens suddenly becoming visible, also splayed out on the stone ground.

Edward found himself talking before the students. "Potter, Carrot-top, what the hell are you two up too?" Quickly standing up, he looked down at the students, cocking an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Professor! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Harry cried, scrambling to stand up.

"We know where the Chamber is!" Carrot-top added, rising next to his friend.

"And how the snake is getting around!" Harry finished.

"What?! When did you figure this out?" Edward exclaimed.

"We went to visit Hermione and found this in her hand." Harry pulled out the page and handed it to Edward.

Edward glanced over the page, noting several random facts about the Basilisk that may come in handy when it got down to fighting the beast. On the bottom of the page, however, was the familiar and neat scrawl of Hermione Granger.

_Pipes._

Of course. How could he be so stupid? The piping! Edward felt like hitting himself in the face; the answer was so obvious that he felt completely ridiculous. Of course it was in the pipes.

Instead of telling the Gryffindors of his true feelings, he simply replied, "Pipes? It makes sense. There really isn't another way for a creature to get around and not be caught, is there?" he stated calmly, expecting no answer to his rhetorical question.

Harry and Carrot-top looked at him expectantly. "That's not it, though. We found out that the location to the Clamber is in the girl's first floor bathroom!" Carrot-top said.

"Wait, what?" Edward replied, confounded. Girl's bathroom? That was the last place he would think to look for a secret chamber housing a vile beast, which was obviously why Salazar placed it there in the first place.

Harry and Carrot-top nodded quickly.

Edward blinked. "Well, what are we waiting for then. Let's go kill this thing!"

"But what about Lockheart?" Carrot-top asked.

"What about him?" Edward asked back, slightly suspicious.

"Don't we need to – oomph!"

Harry quickly slapped a hand over Ron's mouth. The idiot almost let it slip that they'd been eavesdropping!

Edward looked between the two students, completely suspicious. "What were you going to say, Carrot-top?"

Ron deflated a bit for being addressed as Carrot-top again, but responded with quick denials none the less.

Edward narrowed his fiery eyes, picking the students apart with his gaze. "I don't believe that. You two were spying on the teachers meeting, weren't you?"

Harry and Carrot-top gave each other tense looks before giving the professor small nods.

"That's what I thought. But why inform him? He's just an idiot and will only get in our way." Edward turned around quickly, his flamboyant red coat flapping slightly with the speed. "Let's go."

"Go?" Harry asked, giving Carrot-top a confused glance out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, Potter, yes! You know where the Chamber is and you've been helping me almost this entire time. Come on!"

Harry stood there, completely flabbergasted. He had thought that the eccentric teacher would just go charging off on his own, only telling Harry to sit back and stay safe. The fact that Elric not only _wanted_ his help on tracking down and killing the beast, but _expecting _it left the poor boy speechless.

"Y-yes sir!" Harry cried, jogging to catch up with the professor, his red-headed friend hot on his heels a few moments later. Not too long after, Harry found himself calling out instructions to the headstrong teacher, adrenaline pumping through his system. By the end of today, the monster _will _by slayed! Harry just knew it. With Elric on their side, nothing could stop them!

Yet, as these confident thoughts rolled around in Harry's mind, another blond was following the three, completely quite with only a horrible and nasty intention in his own mind.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward flung open the door to the bathroom, taking in the slightly grimy walls and the stalls that made up the place. Behind him trailed Harry and Carrot-top, both boys excited but nervous. Edward understood why, though. Most adults would've sent both boys back to safety but Edward wasn't just any plain adult. Having grown up faster than most kids, he wasn't one to censor young minds to danger. Harry and Carrot-top were ready and they helped him figure out the missing pieces anyways. There was no reason for them not to come.

Edward clapped his hands together in giddiness. "Okay. Where's this Chamber? I'm ready to kick some ass."

Before Harry could reply to the excited professor, however, a pearly white figure floated over from her place on one of the toilets.

"What are you doing here?" The ghost asked Harry, her voice pitched and depressing. Edward mentally winced.

"I think the Chamber is here. But first, I want to ask you how you died, Myrtle." Harry answered, his voice urgent, but somber.

Myrtle looked positively thrilled by Harry's question. "It was _dreadful_. It happened in that very stall." She said with relish, pointing over to the stall she had come from. "I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked and I was crying. Then, I heard someone come in." Myrtle paused slightly, most likely to add dramatic effect to her tale. "They said something funny, like a different language. Anyways, what really got me was that it was a _boy_ speaking so I unlocked the door to tell him to go use his own toilet, and then –" Myrtle swelled with importance, her entire being shinning. "I died."

"But how?" Harry asked.

Myrtle shrugged. "No idea. All I remember is a great big pair of yellow eyes over there." Myrtle pointed to the sinks.

Before anything else was spoken, Edward dashed over to the sinks, studying them carefully. Upon observation, he noticed one of the faucets had a small snake scratched into the side of it; completely unnoticeable to the untrained eye.

"Professor?" Asked Harry uncertainly.

Edward said nothing, his mind twirling at thousands of miles per hour. Myrtle, however, stared at the professor with wide eyes. She could feel it. Death was lingering around the strange golden-haired man. Something about him was _wrong_. He didn't feel human. He was some sort of beast; a monster. Even though she knew perfectly well that she couldn't be physically hurt, she felt scared for her wellbeing. As if the man in front of her could hurt and kill her. Too scared to say anything, the young ghost disappeared without a trace or notice, fleeing the sinful creature before it could get her.

Not noticing Myrtle's exit, the two Gryffindors went and stood behind the eccentric professor, waiting for him to do or say something. What the two boys didn't expect, however, was the professor to start laughing.

"Of course, of course! It makes sense! How could I not see this before?" the professor turned to the two students, a wide grin on his face. "Speak something in Parseltongue, Harry. That's how you open the Chamber!"

Taking a step next to the golden-eyed man, Harry looked at the snake scratched into the side of the faucet. Narrowing his eyes, Harry imagined the snake to be real; wriggling around and hissing.

"Open up." He spoke.

The sink started moving, sinking straight into the ground leaving an exposed pipe large enough for a grown man to easily walk through without trouble.

"Let's go." Edward said top the two students, taking a step towards the entrance.

"Not so fast." A familiar voice spoke from behind.

Whipping around, the party of three watched as Lockheart stepped forward, an ugly sneer twisting his face into a hideous mask.

"What the hell are you doing here, dumb-ass?" Edward snapped rudely.

"My original plan was to leave, but since you three found the Chamber, I thought that the tragedy that happened to poor Ginny Weasley was too much for your minds to handle. I tried to save everyone, but sadly, failed."

"That's the worse plan I've ever heard, and that's saying something." Edward lashed out.

Lockheart's face grew purple with anger. "I shouldn't have to take anything from you, Elric! Your nothing! No accomplishments, no awards, no nothing! You are pathetic and a nothing! Say goodbye to your memories!"

CRACK!

Before Lockheart could cast a spell, a large section of the ceiling fell away right on top of his head, knocking the man unconscious. The two Gryffindors watched as bright blue electricity faded away and Edward stand up from his crouched position on the floor. Nothing was said for a few beats.

"Is he dead?" Carrot-top asked.

Edward shook his head. "No, just concussed. He should be fine, though he might have some amnesia." Edward turned to the Chamber's entrance. "Ready to go?"

The two boys didn't even glance at one another before giving out their agreement and followed the Alchemy professor into the dank, oppressive darkness.

~~0~~0~~0~~

***Laughs nervously while dodging tomatoes* Hey guys, long time no see, huh?**

**GOD! I am sorry! I said two weeks...last chapter...lots of action...**

**I am a liar. A complete liar. (and not the musical kind!)**

**But! I have my reasons! I really, really do!**

**On the day I was going to get this 2/3 finished, I got horrid food poisoning. So bad that I missed a day of school and had no appetite for four days, which lead to other related issues. Before I could make up work that I missed, I missed two more days of school due to a Band Trip to the beach, which was fun by the way, minus the 6 hour plus bus drive, cabin fever, and Star Wars III. Sadly, I got sick again and I'm still sick right now. Stuffed nose, sore throat, coughing that sounds like I'm dying...the entire works. Now, I have lots of extra work to do and even more stress. (Which is mostly caused by my English teacher who doesn't believe that vacation trips and sickness are good excuses) Because of that, this originally last chapter was split into two parts so you guys don't have to wait another 2 2/2 weeks until an update.  
**

**OK****. Now that that rant is out of the way: News for next chapter. Might take...2 1/2 weeks? I'm not going to make any sure promises, but it shouldn't take me a month. That is all I can promise.**

**Well, time to answer questions!**

**Krazyfanfiction1- That will be answered later on...don't want to give too much out. **

**Anyways, thank you dearly for reading, again, I'm super sorry, and leave a review if you want; I love them!**


	17. The Horrible Truth

**Disclaimer: Do I really even have to say? 'Course I don't own HP or FMA!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Edward let a wide smile grace his features as the stone wall came crashing down before him, getting torn into bits of rubble and ruin._

_The Berlin Wall was no more._

_Edward was finally able to relax some. The Cold War was winding down, disappearing from the world quickly and for that, he was grateful. No more missile crisis almost causing World War III. The tension filling up the world, ready to boil over the pot onto the stove of the battlefield was cooling down, the fire gone. The 'Iron Curtin' was being lifted, allowing the torn-in-two Europe to sew itself back together again. Finally, Edward didn't have to hold his breath, just waiting for the news to erupt with the nuclear bombing of some city. Relaxation… it felt like forever, it really did. Edward couldn't recall the last time he had a break from the battlefield, whether that field be in the trenches, on the front lines, in a hospital, or even groveling in rubble. He had struggled to save lives throughout the deadly twin wars and the Cold War afterwards was stressful enough for him to be constantly worried for the past…who knew how many years ago. Edward didn't feel like calculating that number right now._

_At least it was over. For now at least. Edward had definitely lived long enough to know that world peace wasn't possible, but more tolerance and less bloodshed were. Ever since coming to this side of the Gate, Edward noted that this world was much more violent. Wars happened left and right, leaving trembling death and tears in its wake. At least the tension was winding down. America and the Soviet Union were calming down…sort of and everything should be okay from now on._

_Well, until a major war broke out again, that is. Hopefully that won't happen for a long time. Edward could only hope._

_Turning away from the wall, Edward slipped through the crowd of people littering the streets and wandered to the relative location of his flat. Because of the Cold War and the Berlin Wall, Edward wasn't willing to leave Germany quite yet but now that the wall was torn open and bleeding people out onto the free western-side streets, Edward found it high-time to leave. He was determined to try and find a nice, relatively peaceful place to live. He felt that he's been in Germany for way to long and though Edward quite liked the place usually, he was tired of its streets. He was ready to move on and start researching. The most fun he had in recent years was the moon mission over in America that he happened to take part in years before. That had been the highlight of the past decades that have passed and working on that mission, surrounded with other scientists, numbers, formulas, and pure fact had left him with a feeling of nostalgia and a lust for knowledge._

_It had been decided. First, he was going to go find a temporary home in Switzerland; one of the very few, if not only place, that stayed completely neutral throughout both wars and the Cold War. Not only that, it was one of the few places Edward actually hadn't tried to live in and he was ready for a new taste of scenery and culture, though there may be little difference when it came to the latter._

_But before he could do any of that, he had another responsibility, set deep in the heart of the British Iles._

_~~0~~0~~0~~_

_Edward stared somberly at the messy mass of graves that lay before him. His personal graveyard was both morbid and sweet. Well, at least that's what the majority of souls within him told him. Most of the graves were marked by the names of the fallen souls that no longer resided within him for a number of reasons. Mostly, because they had died in his stead as well, were used to keep him from aging, or were used as a way to get around the laws of Alchemy, which he only did when the situation called for it. Sadly, this was the case for most the wars but Edward was ready to prepare himself. He wasn't so sure if Medical Alchemy existed or not, but he was determined to make it a reality to lessen the strain on the souls within him._

_Edward let his focus bleed back into his mind and eyes as he slithered among the graves. The slabs of stone were silent and still, as they always were. In fact, the entire clearing was silent and still. His footsteps made no noise on the soft grass underfoot and though pure silence usually unnerved him, the silence in his sweetly morbid graveyard relaxed him. As sad as it was, the graveyard was the closest thing Edward had to a permanent and proper home. Definitely sad, but Edward had no regrets when it came down to it; He cherished this resting grounds._

_Making his way to the small cottage he had built himself years before, Edward set his mind on the task of finding his Alchemical notes. He still needed to get those to his new home in Switzerland before he could really sit down and start digging through theories and formulas._

_He was definitely ready for his new life._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward bit back a groan as he walked along the dank Chamber; the two Gryffindor boys walking alongside him, wands alit with a lighting spell to light the way. Though he had casted some warming spells over his automail, the wetness in the air caused them to gum up a bit along with causing soreness to his stumps. It greatly frustrated Edward who was glad that there was little moisture in the air in Hogwarts. Down here however was the opposite, unfortunately.

Everything was quite besides the breathing of the three along with their shuffling footsteps on the hard stone ground. The tunnel around them was dark, but the light from the wands gave them enough light to get by for now. However, the air was thick with tension and oppressive, causing the two boys beside Edward to become anxious. Edward wasn't anxious per say, but he was ready to get to the end of the Chamber, kill the monster, save the student, and get out of the unforgiving place. Despite his hatred towards the moist air and the Heir of Slytherin, Edward was also pretty excited. Though he's enjoyed his years of peace, he was itching for a good fight. One that didn't involve wars, corruption, guns, nuclear technology, and the like. Now, a sword and wand plus an evil monster? That was Edward's type of fight. Not unattached feeling as bullets whizzed by the head, striking unfortunate unknown soldiers all around him, burning gas that pierced the lungs and eyes, causing coughing, chocking, and irritation. No cannons, tanks, machine guns, bombs, or – heaven forbid – atomic bombs.

Nope, nothing like that. Just a good-ole fashioned stone sword, alchemy, and quick wit. God, how he missed it. Fighting off monsters with nothing but his own skill and mind. The feel of pure adrenaline pumping through his veins, guiding every stroke and block. The feel of flesh hitting other flesh and walls around. The scene of watching an enemy pick themselves off the bloody ground only to dive right back into a whirling battle of quick wit and reflexes.

No, Edward hadn't had a fight like that in a very long time. All the battles he remembered were filled with dead soldiers, malnutrition bodies, human experimentation, trenches, and bullets. So many bullets. If Edward's wounds left scars, he was sure to look like Swiss cheese with the holes filled with scar tissue. That sort of appearance would only draw unwanted attention that Edward really didn't want. It was best to keep his head down and continue on with his immortal life. The Human race wasn't ready for someone like him and most likely never will be.

"GAH!" someone behind Edward screamed.

Edward whipped around, seeing the frightened face of Carrot-top before a horrid rumbling sound grinded in the walls, coming from deep within the bowls of the castle. Before anyone could move, however, a giant landslide of rocks poured from the ceiling, blocking the way to the entrance and effectively cutting off Carrot-top from Edward and Harry.

"Ron!" Harry cried. "Are you okay?" Panic slightly tinged the young pre-teen's voice.

"Carrot-top?" Edward asked. Though it was posed as a question, the tone suggested it was more of a demand for him to still be alright. No one was dying tonight.

"I'm okay! Nothing but dust hit me. Are you two alright?" Carrot-top responded.

"We're fine." Harry said as Edward also asked, "What the hell just happened."

On the other side of the rubble, the red-head cringed slightly as he remembered the reason for his high scream. "I-I felt a spider land on my head. I hate spiders!"

"It's just a bug." Edward grumbled in disbelief.

"You're scared of spiders?" Harry rhetorically asked, his voice also disbelieving.

On the other side, the spider-fearer rolled his eyes, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "I think it's gone now at least…"

"That's the least of our worries." Edward snapped suddenly. "You're going to have to stay put there until we secure Ginny and slay the monster."

"What?" Both boys asked.

Before they could ask, Edward nodded. "I can't risk moving this with alchemy. I'm no architect. There's too much rubble. I might be able to fix it, but we're in a hurry. As we speak, your sister is dying. Wait there and keep an eye out for trouble. If you see anything…well, close your eyes and hope it's not the basilisk."

Carrot-top groaned but admitted it was the best option they had. The tunnels were old and a wrong step could cause the entire Chamber to collapse. Plus, they were in a hurry. The red-head had to admit that as daft as Elric was, he was certainly capable. If Carrot-top was more observant, he would also notice the dangerous and violent protectiveness in Edward's eyes and how his body and mind were set as if they've been in similar dangerous situations before. However, Carrot-top had the emotional range of a teaspoon and never noticed the finer details to anything.

With quick agreements and wishes of good luck leaving the tongues, Edward and Harry turned around; only taking a few more steps into the tunnel until the light wand fell upon a massive shape sprawled across the bone-littered ground.

"Professor!" Harry whisper-yelled in surprise.

Noticing the lack of light, Edward reluctantly pulled out his wand and casted lumos, helping light up the area around a bit more.

"Calm down, Harry. It's just a snake skin. Nothing more." Edward said calmly, trying to make sure Harry didn't panic.

"It's just…I didn't expect it to be so…big." Harry finished weakly.

Edward merely nodded. "A Basilisk is a large creature, Harry. Dangerous too. Be very careful. If you see movement in the shadows, close your eyes as fast as you can and listen with your ears. Just don't worry and don't die and you'll be fine!"

Harry smiled weakly. He knew that Elric was trying to reassure him but it was obvious that he wasn't very good with comforting people and wordplay. Harry didn't feel worse, but he definitely didn't feel more reassured. Though he was worrying somewhat, he knew he had to be brave and face this challenge head on. Plus, this time he had Elric helping him. Though the professor was a bit…loony, he was capable and that fact alone steeled Harry's nerves and toughed the young boy up.

"Let's go." He said.

Edward smiled down at the young boy and continued along the tunnel, wand in front of him lighting up the stone walls and the small skeletons that crunched underneath the two pairs of feet. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, no ending in sight. The light casted by the duel wands grew long and horrifying shadows in the dark, reminding Edward vaguely of the shadowy creatures found in the Gate. Before his mind could dwell on the thought too much however, the wands casted a soft glow on a huge metal door that took up the entirety of the tunnel.

Edward had to admit, the architecture was very elegant and surprisingly preserved of the great door. The huge door glowed a weak and dull emerald color in the dim light. Metallic snakes with bright emerald eyes made up the locking mechanism, startling life-like in the way they seemed to hold themselves up with a demand for respect and the way a predatory look glinted off their gemstone eyes.

A guttural hissing sound came from the left of Edward, shaking the man out of his thoughts. Glancing over at Harry, he wondered how a language could be passed down by blood. Before he could think more about the subject, however, the door ahead started to creak open. The snakes started to wriggle and slither around. A low screech mixed with odd ka-thunks filled the air as the ancient device unlocked itself, slowly swinging open.

When the door finally swung out all the way, Harry and Edward found themselves staring down a long, dimly lit corridor. Decorative stone pillars with carved snakes seemed to help support the inky black rock ceiling above.

Not even giving each other a glance, Edward and Harry walked side-by-side into the gloomy chamber, their footsteps echoing hollowly around. Both their wands were drawn and though Harry took reassurance from the wood that was gripped tightly in his hand, Edward was wishing he could transmute his automail into his signature blade. Sadly, Harry was with him and though automail was old to Edward, it was still ridiculously advanced for this world. Plus, the less questions asked, the better.

As the two made their way, Edward couldn't help but feel the familiar rush of adrenaline the coursed through his veins, sharpening his senses and forcing more strength in his muscles. He felt giddy; it was finally time to slay the monster and kick the Heir's ass. Edward could hardly contain himself!

On the other hand, Harry was feeling the exact opposite. Though he was feeling much braver than last year, nerves still clawed at his stomach. Unlike before, Harry was facing some near-immortal dangerous creature that only needed to kill someone with its gaze. An evil snake was very different from an evil teacher. Harry could feel the familiar pump of adrenaline that flooded his senses and veins, yet, unlike Edward, Harry didn't feel excited at all. This adrenaline was different than other times; this wasn't Quidditch or almost getting caught by a teacher adrenaline but fearing for your life, you might actually die adrenaline. The sort of feel that raced through his entire body, warning him of danger, struggling to let his self-perversion win out. But Harry wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. Though he could feel the instinctual warning of danger within his mind, he didn't let the thought cloud his mind. He had to save the school! Elric needed his help, he said so himself and Harry wasn't just going to sit on the sidelines! He was determined. There was no turning back now.

The corridor opened up into a large chamber, a thin layer of water covering the floor in its slimy wetness. A large face was against the back wall; monkeyish with a thin beard. In front of this face, lying in the dirty water was a very familiar red-headed girl.

"Ginny!" Harry cried out. Before Edward could grab the young pre-teen or even move, Harry was already at the red-head's side, lightly shaking her shoulders, begging her to be all right, skin white as snow, eyes tightly closed.

"Harry!" Edward snapped in a warning, his entire body gaunt, staring into the shadows of a nearby pillar with hard eyes.

Harry was shaken out of his stupor by the alchemy professor. Slowly, he turned around. Upon seeing where the golden-eyed man was staring, his eyes unreadable, Harry saw a figure step out of the shadows. Harry couldn't contain his surprised gasp.

"Tom? Tom Riddle?!"

Tom Riddle smiled coldly. Unlike most people, he seemed to be faded in color and was blurry around the edges of his figure; like he really wasn't there.

"Hello, Harry. Fancy meeting you here." He said with a smirk, twirling a familiar wand in his fingers.

Harry blinked in surprise. Glancing around, Harry realized he must have dropped his wand in his mad dash to Ginny. The circular stick must've rolled, allowing Tom to pick it up and use it.

"Give me back my wand, Tom." Harry asked, a bad feeling forming in his stomach.

Tom Riddle cocked an eyebrow, gazing at Harry with amusement. "I don't think you'll be needing it."

"What? What are you talking about?" Harry asked; confusion clear in his voice.

"Don't listen to him, Harry! Get over here!" Edward called out, anger evident in his voice as he glared at Tom Riddle. Edward wasn't sure how the young Riddle was here, but he knew whatever it was, it wasn't good. Harry was in danger and it was up to him to make sure the young pre-teen didn't get hurt.

Harry's head whipped around to look at Edward, more confusion marring his eyes along with fear and uncertainty. "Professor?"

Tom Riddle glared hatefully at Edward. The man reminded the memory of someone awfully familiar…but it couldn't be…it was…impossible.

Seeing as how Harry wasn't moving, Edward darted forward at grabbed Harry, dragging him back, leaving Ginny where she lay.

Despite Edward's physical removal of Harry, the boy continued to ask questions. "What's wrong with Ginny, Tom?"

Tom Riddle smirked, a cruel smirk that twisted his handsome face into something quite grotesque. "That's an interesting question. Though, Harry Potter, I do suggest changing the format of your question. More like, how did Ginny get like this. Isn't that right?"

Edward carefully pushed Harry so the boy was slightly behind the taller, golden-haired man. "Fine. How did Weasley get like this?" Edward spat, his golden eyes practically glowing with their intensity.

Tom Riddle sneered at Edward, his face becoming even more twisted and deformed. "Shut it, mudblood. You're not in this so I suggest keeping quiet unless you want to die a very painful death."

Harry gasped at Tom Riddles' cruel words; finally starting to understand the type of person Tom Riddle really was. Meanwhile, Edward started to chuckle lowly, mush to the surprise of Harry and the suspicion of Tom.

"Whatever." Edward snorted. "Go ahead and explain everything and your evil plan. Unlike you, Riddle, I'm a busy man. I don't have all day to play with you so let's hurry this up."

Riddle's face glowed red with anger, his eyes narrowing into slits. Then, the hideous anger disappeared, getting replaced by a cool look. Smirking slightly, he addressed Harry. "So, Harry Potter. Still wondering about little Ginny, are you?"

Harry glared at Riddle angrily; stepping out from behind Edward to take a few threating steps towards to smoky figure. "You better tell me what's wrong with her Riddle-!"

Riddle gave Harry a superior smirk and started to weave his tale. "It all started with a diary, Harry Potter. My diary to be exact. Ginny's been writing to me for months now, telling me of all the little problems that happen in her unimportant life. How her brothers tease her, how her family is too poor for her to have new books and robes, and how she didn't think the good, great, and famous Harry Potter would ever like her. So many stupid and pathetic worries and woes. It was hard, I'll admit but I did anything a good –" Tom Riddle threw the two a wide and scary grin, full of sharp teeth and malicious intent. "Friend would do. I listened to her worries and fears. I was sympathetic and kind. Ginny simply loved me. 'No one's ever understood me like you, Tom…I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in…It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket…'"

Riddle laughed coldly, a sound that didn't seem to really match with his features. It caused the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stand up. Edward, however, merely cocked and eyebrow, though he still tensed up his muscles even more so however, awaiting an attack.

"I've always been able to charm the people I needed, Harry Potter. As Ginny poured her soul into me, I grew stronger. Strong enough to tell her some of my secrets, allowing my soul to pour into hers."

Harry stared wide-eyed at Riddle, the dots slowly connecting. Edward was less silent, however. An angry snarl tore through the golden-eyed man's throat, the sound more animal like instead of human.

"You dare play with souls?! You know nothing! How dare you play God!" Edward snarled. Most the souls inside him were shouting now, anger filled voices that asked for different things. Asking for blood and pain, wanting the figure to pay for his dark crimes that he had no regret for. Though not all the souls were shouting and though not all the souls liked conversing with Edward, every single one of them had a hatred for the figure before them. All were calling out for punishment for Riddle's crimes. Every single one of them. The voices were so loud and so powerful in Edward's head; Edward wasn't able to get a grip on the reality around him. His hearing briefly failed and red sparks danced unnoticeably around his fingertips, needing some sort of output. Despite the powerful emotions that were coursing through his very being, Edward took rein of the souls inside him, shoving back with the full force of his mind and mastery of the Stone to keep the voices back and quiet so he could focus on the situation once more.

"-asley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods and the Squib's cat." Riddle finished, his eyes fixed on Harry. In Edward's brief lapse, Riddle decided to ignore the golden-haired man for now. Harry Potter was a more pressing issue for the memory than the strange and familiar man. Harry, however, was worried about the professor. He went from inane yelling too deadly quiet with a faraway look in his eyes quickly; a complete personality change in the span of a few seconds. That was not normal. However, Harry was much more worried about Tom Riddle and Ginny's part in the grand scheme of things to properly worry about his eccentric alchemy professor.

"No." Harry whispered in horror.

"Yes." Riddle sneered. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing. It was all very amusing." Riddle smirked wickedly. "It took a very long time for stupid Ginny to stop trusting her diary. Finally, she cast it away. Only to fall into your hands, Harry Potter. The very person I was most anxious to meet." Riddle's voice grew as he talked, rising into a mad crescendo full of malice and hatred.

Edward stepped forward again, falling into step next to Harry, hands already closed together casually. He was ready. Throughout his six hundred or something years filled with war and gore, Edward finally figured out how to stay mostly calm in a situation such as this as well as keep his head. True, he was itching to race over and blast Riddle away using some tricky alchemy, but he had to wait. The puzzle wasn't quite completed along with the fact that Edward was still trying to figure out how Riddle from fifty years ago was standing in front of him with no age and color. It was most unsettling. Still, Edward's eyes darted around, already forming a battle strategy when Riddle decided to attack with Harry's wand.

"Why would you want to meet me?" Harry asked angrily, rage starting to cloud his vision while his hands clenched themselves into fists. He was completely unaware of Edward's presence or planning.

"Ginny told me all about your…fascinating history." Riddle's expression became hungry as his eyes glazed over Harry's scar. "So, I decided to show you my capture of Hagrid and…"

Riddle's eyes widened and all of a sudden his eyes snapped towards Edward.

"No. Impossible. That was fifty years ago. You…" Riddle muttered, staring at Edward as if he's seen a ghost. Harry's eyes darted between the memory and the professor, confusion written all over his face.

"Weren't you going to finish your story, Riddle? Or will I have to finish it for you?" Edward sneered at the young-looking boy.

Riddle's eyes widened farther, taking on a surprised gleam that quickly turned hungry.

"Oh, you know the rest of it, professor? Riddle sneered with relish.

Edward smirked. "I think I have enough pieces to string it all together. You threw Harry off your trail and placed distrust towards Hagrid within him. Somehow, you were able to preserve some sort of…memory of yourself in that diary." Edward said, thinking out loud. His mind raced, piecing every clue and detail into an immaculate and hideous picture. "Ginny got the diary back somehow for whatever reason. You took control of her again, made her write another message on the walls and directed her here."

Riddle smirked at the golden-haired man. "Clever as always, professor. But that's not all of it."

Edward quirked an eyebrow. "No it's not. The real reason you did all this was to lure Potter down here, wasn't it? So you could kill him."

Riddle snarled angrily at being beaten at his own game while Harry started, his eyes flashing between Edward and the memory quickly in shock.

Riddle quickly composed himself once again, becoming cool and slippery. "And I assume you know who I am, right sir?"

Edward smirked. "Dead on."

"What?" Harry finally piped up, confusion and rage painted clearly on his face.

"How 'bout I show you?" Riddle murmured softly.

Using Harry's wand, Riddle wrote in clear fiery letters:

Tom Marvolo Riddle

Casually flicking the wand, the letters rearranged themselves, spelling out something completely new and terrifying:

I am Lord Voldemort

"You see? Voldemort is my past, present, and future. Do you really think I would keep my filthy muggle father's name? No. I fashioned myself a new name; a name I knew everyone would fear when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!" Riddle shouted, his voice once again starting at a near whisper only to grow and crescendo into a shout of pure maniac glee.

"No you're not." Harry whispered after sometime.

Edward glanced curiously at the boy while Riddle continued to stare at Harry with hate clear on his features. Harry's breathing picked up as he quickly gasped out, "Albus Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer in the world! Even when you were strong you feared him!"

"Albus Dumbledore has been driven away at the mere memory of me!" Riddle argued back.

"No he hasn't! And you know it!" Edward shot back, tongue sharp as always.

Riddle sneered at Edward. Despite his facial expression, his eyes still held slight fevered awe and suspicion.

Turning back to Harry, Riddle finally asked the million dollar question. "Twice – in your past and my future – we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? How did a mere baby and child defeat me?" Riddle stared imploringly at Harry, waiting for an answer to his mostly rhetorical question.

"…I don't entirely know. No one knows why you lost your powers. But I do know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. She stopped you from killing me, my common muggle-born mother. And I've seen the real you. You're a wreak; barely alive and pathetic. You're in hiding. You're ugly, foul –" Harry shouted at him, his face screwed up with multiple negative emotions that Edward knew all too well.

Riddle's face contorted with madness and a twisted, awful smile. "So, your mother died to save you. That is a powerful countercharm. I can see. There is nothing special about you. That's all I wanted to know."

Sensing an end to Riddle's vicious speech, Edward pulled Harry back, keeping a protective hand clamped on his shoulder.

"Now, Harry Potter, let's match the powers of the greatest wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort against you, famous Harry Potter." Riddle sneered while raising his hands high into the air, praising himself.

"He's not alone you know." Edward growled, staring Riddle down.

Riddle merely chuckled. "Don't worry, sir. I have something special for you."

Edward clenched his teeth in worry. Riddle, meanwhile, turned around. Edward's ears pricked up as a strange but familiar hissing sound filled the Chamber. Next to Edward, Harry tensed, eyes widening in fear.

"Potter? Potter, what is he saying? Harry!" Edward's voice died out at the end as the giant statue's mouth opened up. In the depths of the shadowy darkness, a large and slithery shape wriggled around, slowly uncurling itself out of tangled knots and slithered into the murky lighting of the Chamber, its scales scrapping hollowly across the old stone ground while the massive creature quietly hissed to itself.

Tension filled the room as the Basilisk unfolded itself from the darkness. A sharp clap pierced the air, catching the attention of horrified Harry and crazed Riddle. Blue electricity sparked in the still and stale air, creating large colorful arcs of electric blue. Slowly pulling up from his crouch on the ground, Edward pulled out two swords. Both were intricately carved with gaudy gothic designs. The hilts were spiked dragons while both swords themselves were edged with prongs. Though the swords were made out of stone, they still managed to look deadly and dangerous. Edward thrust the smaller sword into Harry's hands. The second year stared up at Edward with widened eyes. Another clap later, the pre-teens widened eyes were covered with a cloth of some kind. Though Harry could still see vague and dark shapes, he couldn't see any sort of details, such as eyes.

"Professor!" Harry cried.

Edward grimaced at the blind boy. Though his coat was uneven, at least Harry would be somewhat safe against the Basilisk's eyes. Well, until he cut them out of course. "Don't worry, Harry. Just a precaution until we cut out its eyes!"

"Cut out its eyes?! Us?!" Harry repeated.

Edward nodded quickly. "Yes!" He cried out, excited.

Riddle sneered at the two. Once again he hissed. Though Edward couldn't understand snake-speak, he didn't need to too understand what Riddle just said: Kill the boy!

The snake lunged.

Grabbing Harry, Edward only had time to shove him away to the opposite side of the Chamber as the snake barreled toward the two. Neatly dodging out of the way, Edward whipped back around to swing at the snakes scales. Unfortunately, snake scales were much harder that stone and the sword merely scrapped against the green brute, creating a hollow scrapping noise as it went.

"Damn!" Edward cursed.

Harry picked himself up off the floor, having stumbled when Edward shoved him. Surprisingly, Harry had kept the sword tightly in his grip, not dropping it on his tumble. Wiping around, Harry held the sword out in front of him in what he hoped to be defensive. His eyes were screwed together tightly; doubting that the slightly see-through-able cloth would actually work.

Unsurprisingly, the Basilisk turned towards Harry, its yellow eyes narrowed in hate and instinct. It flicked its tongue out, catching the boy's delectable scent in the stale air. At the same time, however, the snake caught the smell of something completely different. Something…terrible. It hung in the air, tasting of death and destruction. The great beast felt true and pure fear in its heart, something it never felt before. It was an instinctual fear; something telling the creature that what it was smelling was terrible and unnatural; evil, even, if such a label existed. Though the Basilisk's every instinct was to flee the overbearing feel of danger in the area, its loyalty to its master outweighed its fear. Narrowing its eyes and letting the command wash upon him, the Basilisk charged once more.

Seeing the Basilisk pause slightly, Edward slowly crept up on it from behind, his boots making no noise on the stone ground whatsoever. Edward could almost stretch and touch the large snake before it reared up and slithered forward in the best charge it could do. Caught off guard, Edward lunged forward, arms outstretched to grab a hold of its scales.

"Oomph!" Edward coughed out as his fingers dug into the side of the snake, prying its scales upward for a weak grip. The Basilisk stopped its charging, rearing back once more as it felt the strange and terrible presence right on top of it.

Clenching his teeth together in concentration, Edward struggled to swing onto the monster's broad back. Though Edward hadn't changed physically in all his years, his skill definitely have worn out, leaving Edward defenseless in that area of expertise. Still, adrenaline was pumping madly through the blonde's veins and, gripping the sword tightly in his mouth, he used his automail arm to help yank him on top of the beast's back, slightly panting at the exertion his muscles went through.

The beast was positively furious that the strange creature was on his back. Screaming in a strange hissy sort of way, the Basilisk tried to turn its head around to snap at the evil presence. Fanged jaws wide and snapping, the beast simply could turn its head around.

Getting onto his knees, Edward slowly shimmied up the back, struggling not to be thrown off the monster's back. Praying that the beast wouldn't decide to roll around and crush him against the ground, Edward hung on at the base of the Basilisk's neck, mind whirling to figure out a plan to kill it. Clapping his hands together quickly, Edward placed them on the scales, ready to transmute. Yet, as an equation shined clear in his mind, red cracks appeared, breaking it.

Edward panicked. The equation wasn't balanced. He didn't know what elements made up the Basilisk. Didn't know the quantities.

As the Stone started to react, using souls to break apart some of the great beasts' scales, Edward quickly removed his hands and broke the equation, stopping the massive and unbalanced transmutation that was about to happen.

Edward coughed terribly as the rebound came back and hit him. Larges gashes formed on his flesh, bleeding out on his chest, arms, and legs.

Edward could feel the red electricity dance wildly around him. Having taken the rebound for breaking some of the beasts' scales, the rebound wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been and healing himself was much cheaper than destroying an entire Basilisk.

Edward watched in fascination as the little blood that was able to drip into his hands and on the ugly green scales turn to dust and disappear. The red lightning slowly disappeared, leaving him healed and ready to go once again.

_Well._ Edward thought. _Looks like alchemy is a no-go on the Basilisk._

Meanwhile, Riddle stood in the same place as before, furious that his seemingly perfect plan was failing because of his old professor, as unbelievable as it was. Grinding his teeth together in frustration, Riddle snapped. "NO! STOP IT! KILL THE BOY, HE'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU AND CAN'T EVEN SEE YOU! KILL HIM!"

The order filled the Basilisk's mind, forcing the creature to stop thrashing around. Lowering itself back onto the ground, the monster bared its teeth at Harry, ready to strike.

Edward, seeing his chance, climbed back to his feet and ran the best he could up the beast's neck. Stopping on top of its head, Edward struggled to find his balance briefly before catching himself using his automail right arm. Crouching down, Edward used his still free hands to break the sword into identical daggers. Leveling the stone dagger nicely into his hands, Edward braced himself against the Basilisk's head the best he could before bending down the creature's face to stab the dagger into his eye.

SHLUCK!

The Basilisk screeched, a sound of pure pain as Edward dug the stone weapon deeper into its eye. A mixture of thick blood and pus started leaking out profoundly, drenching Edward's flesh arm, Grimacing, Edward dug the dagger around, tearing the eye up into little bits. As agony ripped through the Basilisk's senses, the monster flung its head side to side. Feeling himself slipping, Edward used the Basilisk's eye socket to hold on to the monster's face. Letting go of the dagger, Edward used both hands to dangle before the Basilisk's jaws. The dagger stayed put, however the second dagger held by Edward fell, thumping heavily onto the ground. _God damn, I need more physical training! I'm doing terrible! Izumi would kill me if she were here! _He thought

Edward struggled to pull himself up. There was no real leverage on his feet as the Basilisk kept snapping its teeth. Blood and pus poured onto Edward, making his hands sticky and warm as well as catching in his golden hair, making it lose its natural clean sheen. Flinging a few nasty locks away from his face, Edward twisted his head around to look at Harry.

"Run. Harry! Get out of here!" Edward screamed at the boy. Fear - true and natural fear clenched around the immortal's heart, causing panic to rush through him.

"Professor!" Harry cried out. Having cracked open his eyes some, Harry was met with the terrible sight of a figure hanging off of what appeared to be a great eye socket. Steeling his resolve, Harry gripped the sword tightly in his hand. Ignoring his professor's cries of running away, Harry focused his eye sight at the area just above the Basilisk's head; Harry prayed that where he thought the snake's eye socket was was correct before flinging himself forward.

Though Harry wasn't quite as tall as Edward, he wasn't short compared the professor either. With adrenaline guiding every action he took, Harry was able to do the impossible – jumping up high and, eyes trained on the ceiling above, slashed the monster's eye in half, blood and pus bursting out of the wound.

The great snake cried out in agony. Renewing its efforts, the snake thrashed even more, throwing Edward off it. Edward groaned as he was slammed into the ground, all breath briefly knocked out of him. Meanwhile, Harry had dropped his sword in his efforts to scramble away from the large beast.

Edward hauled himself to his feet once more, Harry already positioned right next to him. Staring up at the snake, Edward felt both proud of Harry and pissed off at the boy at the same time. Proud that the snake's other eye was badly damaged enough that its power of killing people was gone and pissed off that Harry didn't listen to instruction.

Still standing in the same place as before, Riddle was even angrier than before. His beautiful basilisk's eyes were carved out! "NO! GET THE BOY! YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM! KILL HIM!" Riddle screamed once again at the pained beast.

Feeling orders wash around it once more, the Basilisk steadied itself before charging at the two once again, driving them apart. As Edward and Harry were separated once again by the large beast's body, the Basilisk turned on Harry, easily able to sniff him out.

Harry swallowed uneasily as the snake turned towards him, his eye sockets still leaking nasty fluids everywhere. Scrambling to his feet, Harry took a few steps backwards before his foot stepped on something sharp. Bending down, Harry lifted the dropped stone dagger, holding it out before him in some sort of hope for desperation. The air hung heavy and tense; the only sound being heavy breathing of the three alive entities in the steady drip, drip, drip of pus and blood from the Basilisk.

Feeling the tension building up to an almost unbearable level, Harry turned and ran into a large pipe that was connected to the Chamber. Roaring, the Basilisk followed as Harry knew it would.

As the sound of rapid footsteps and hollow scrapping slowly left, Edward turned to Riddle. Both the memory and the immortal had their eyes narrowed.

"Riddle."

"Eichel."

The silence that followed was louder than any sort of noise that could happen, being the only sound of two whirling minds as the judged one another.

After what seems like forever, but was actually only a few seconds, Riddle smirked.

Edward glared in response. _And so it begins…_

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Oh F***ing hell**

**I- you know what? Ignore me. Whatever I say, just forget it. I'm a terrible seer and can't predict the future whatsoever. And I'm sorry.**

**Well, looks like I'm the biggest troll! Ended, you ask? Nope! Not at all! God damn.**

**Now, I'm not going to list a large paragraph of excuses. But, I will sum it up into four words.**

**Real life and school.**

**yes, I have a social life (that doesn't include any media! It's an actual social life!) and yes, exams are coming up. Do I have to say more?**

**And, most likely, summer won't make it any better. I've got drivers ed, band camp, and a number of other things that I don't wanna list. I hope to write more during summer, and hopefully I'll be able to pull it off. hopefully.**

**Now, I will try to update before summer starts, but I, once again, make no promises. My life is actually kinda busy, but I WILL finish this story!**

**Now, because so many people have been asking, YES! THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL!**

**I've said that multiple times already! Yes, there will be a sequel. In fact, this story will cover all Harry Potter books!**

**So, don't worry.**

**On another note, if you don't know, I post chapter progress on my profile. If your curious to see how the next chapter is coming along, look at that.**

**Anyways. as always, thank you so much for reading and putting up with my drama and lateness! Review if you want, they really motivate me to keep writing!**


	18. The Flutter In His Heart:End of Prt 1

**Disclaimer: I will never own HP or FMA! Sorry...**

**I want to go ahead and thank everyone who has stuck with this story! I know I thank y'all every chapter, but without all my lurkers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters, this story (well, first arc, really...) would never have been completed. Thank you all, so so much and I'll see ya at the end of this last chapter.**

**Love you all~ (hehe, not in the creepy way, guys!)**

**Also, THERE IS AN IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END OF THIS! PLEASE READ FOR SEQUEL INFO!**

**-Thank you!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Sometimes, I can't help but wonder what will happen in the future. Will I always be here? Will the world keep moving on while I stay stationary? I can't help but feel as if I'll always be here, even after the world has stopped spinning and everything is dust in the sky…_

~~0~~0~~0~~

The entire chamber was silent. With Harry and the Basilisk gone, nothing broke the tense silence that hung heavy in the wet air. Edward and Riddle stared daggers at one another, tension flickering in between the immortal and memory. A small smirk curled at the edge of Riddle's mouth, a hungry and superior gleam in his eyes. Edward glared back, meeting his eyes easily and unafraid. He's faced much worse than a young mass-murderer. Much worse.

"Isn't this…interesting. My old professor from fifty years ago is here. Un-aged whatsoever yet vastly different." Riddle spoke, his voice not betraying his true emotions.

Edward let a sneer curl his lip. Staring at Riddle with all the disgust he could manage with his eyes, he replied, "And you somehow preserved yourself in a diary. Un-aging."

An ugly look briefly flashed across Riddle's face but was gone in an instant. "Not quite. Just a memory, really. But not for long as you know."

A large screech pierced the tension-filled air. Despite its horrible noise, neither beings flinched. Instead, they continued staring at one another in thought.

Riddle pretended to not notice the screech, continuing to stare at Edward in his burning gaze. Finally, however, he snapped. "How do you do it? _How?!_ You look different, but I can tell that you are the same. How do you evade death? _How?!_"

Edward gave Riddle a large smirk. "Like I would tell someone like you, Riddle. You're pathetic."

Riddle let out a low growl, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You watch it, Eichel."

"Why should I? You're not even really _here_! What can you do to me besides conversing? Nothing!" Edward barked back in a laugh.

Riddle's face twisted into an unpleasant emotion, cold and deadly fire dancing in his eyes that spoke of his madness. "Oh, I can do more than what you think, Eichel. Soon, I will be at full strength and your precious Harry Potter will be dead by my Basilisk, if he isn't already, that is."

Edward continued to grin at Riddle, his golden eyes bright with excitement and confidence. "I doubt that. Besides, I'm pretty sure Harry won't just die on me. He's defied death before and from what I've seen, he's doing a pretty good job right now. I have faith that the boy will pull through this. Just watch."

Before Riddle could grin, however, loud footsteps pattered on the stone floor along with the hollow scraping sounds of scales. Edward watched out of the corner of his eye as Harry burst back into the main chamber, sword-less and drenched in sweat. Even from where he was standing, Edward could clearly see the adrenaline and fear in Harry's eyes as the young boy plowed ahead, rushing straight to Edward. From another tunnel across from him, the large basilisk followed. Its mouth was wide open in pain, a stone sword stabbed straight through the tongue. Blood and pus still dripped from its gory eye sockets, painting its face disgusting and clashing colors. As the Basilisk slithered forward, it slowly came to a halt. Even the large beast could feel the tension sparking around the room, not to mention that terrible feeling of death that seemed to hang around the gold man-creature.

"That took you long enough, Harry." Edward said, a proud smile adorning his features.

Harry wiped some of the sweat off his brow. "Yes, sorry, sir." Harry panted.

The second year turned to face Riddle alongside Edward, eyes narrowed in anger as he waited for what would come next.

~~0~~0~~0~~

_A few minutes before…_

Harry raced down the pipe, stone sword clutched tightly in his hand. He could hear the terrible sound of the Basilisk charging forward, right on his tail. As Harry pushed himself harder, forcing his already tired and burning legs to go faster, Harry had to give a small thanks to Elric's exercise program that he made all students go through. Though the obstacle course was not only irritating but painful, and pushing around desks was hard, boring, and tiring, Harry had to admit that without the exercise, he wouldn't have been able to outrun the Basilisk or have been able to stab out one of its eyes.

As the sound of Elric's and Riddle's voice faded into the background, all Harry could hear was the constant pounding of his feet on the ground along with his radical heart in his chest. The Basilisk still followed, scraping and hissing along. On top of that was the dripping of water in the large and wet pipe.

Harry gripped the sword even tighter in his hand, no doubt causing impressions in the skin along with small cuts due to the rough material. Harry's mind darted around trying to figure out some sort of plan that could preserve his life and to get him back into the main chamber. Now that Harry thought about it, he should've stayed with Elric where he would've been safer. However, in the heat and panic of the moment, Harry had followed the part of his brain that told him to run in the opposite direction as fast as he could, which was definitely not the best decision.

As Harry continued to run, he found himself out-running the Basilisk. He could still hear the sounds of the creature as it chased him, but for a few seconds, he could think of a plan.

Staring around, Harry noticed that the pipe seemed to continue for a bit. Leaning against the wall for a quick break in running, he felt along the stone absent-mindedly before cool air touched his fingertips. Moving his hand back in surprise, Harry glanced down the pipe that curved off from the one he was running down. Looking at the way in curved inwards, Harry was struck by an idea.

The Basilisk was pissed off, no doubt about it. It couldn't see anything and his skull and face throbbed with pain as goo continued dripping out of its wounds. Baring its teeth in anger, it let out a hiss. It could no longer hear the human's constant footsteps anymore. Everything was quiet save for the steady drip of water far away. Sniffing the air once again, the Basilisk continued along the pipe, trying to sniff the human out.

As the Basilisk continued its hunt, the scent of the human grew stronger and stronger until the scent seemed to be all around the beast. Once again, the Basilisk strained to hear footsteps or _something_, but nothing but dripping water echoed around it. Frustrated, the Basilisk flicked out it's tongue again, trying to see if it could pinpoint the human better.

Agony ripped through the Basilisk's tongue as something sharp, for the third time, stabbed him in the tongue. Hissing with pain, the great snake drew its tongue back into its mouth the best it could, feeling the stone weapon of sorts bury deeper into its sensitive mouth. Crying out, the creature thrashed around some, trying to dislodge the pain. It took a few seconds before the Basilisk recognized another sound piercing through the air to the right of it.

Footsteps.

With a guttural hiss, the Basilisk charged after the cursed boy once more, even more rage filling the creature.

Meanwhile, said boy was once again running at top speed down the tunnel. His legs were pure flame by now and his chest heaved with quick and pained breaths. His sides curled up on themselves in their soreness, protesting against the harsh movement Harry was making, but the boy didn't stop. He couldn't stop until he put even more distance between him and the Basilisk. As Harry started to pull away from the creature once more, he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a small grate that jutted out, giving him perfect cover from the Basilisk. Drenched in sticky sweat, Harry turned into the grate, struggling to stop his noisy pants and fall silent.

Just as Harry was able to get his breathing in better control so it wasn't as loud, the Basilisk came once again.

Harry bit back a squeak of fear as the Basilisk's great and gross head swung into the grating. Backing up as far as he could, Harry stared at the ugly creature, slightly sick as he watched its eye sockets continue to secrete liquid and its tongue in its opened mouth throb because of the sword stuck in it.

Harry bit his lip as the creature struggled to sniff him out with its wounded tongue. Bending down, Harry felt around for a small rock. Lifting the stone in his hand, Harry positioned himself better before tossing it down the pipe before the Basilisk, letting the small thing bounce multiple times down the pipe.

A small and irritated hiss left the Basilisk's mouth as it continued forward once again. Harry waited before he couldn't hear the tell-tale signs of scales scrapping along stone before taking a few tentative steps out of the grate and down the pipe once more, breaking into a fast walk and into a run as he reached the main chamber once again.

~~0~~0~~0~~

The Basilisk held itself, feeling the terrible aura that hung around the room, heavy and unmoving. The Basilisk allowed a shudder to run through itself, fearful and disgusted.

Once again, Tom Riddle glared at his "pet." Why wouldn't the stupid beast go ahead and attach the professor and the boy? As the two said beings slowly inched forward, getting closer and closer to him and Ginny, Tom Riddle heard the low hissing of the Basilisk.

"_Beware him. The Golden Man. He's…not right. Unnatural. Please, no more! No more!"_

The great snake's low hiss became a strange sort of warbled scream as it begged Tom Riddle to not order it again. Pure fear and panic raced through the Basilisk's veins and every heartbeat seemed days long. The Basilisk could hear said heart pound in its chest, feel every rise and fall of its putrid breath as Tom Riddle slowly uncurled his lips from its grim line and said the horrible, fated words the Basilisk had begged not to hear.

"_Kill them. Now. And do not fail me again."_

And the Basilisk charged.

Edward whipped around as the big snake came after them again. _Really, Riddle needs to learn by now that this snake is just not working._ He Edward thought.

Clapping his hands together once again, Edward brought out two stone swords. The Basilisk charged ever nearer, only seconds away from flattening them.

"Har- er, Potter, on my mark, stab it in its mouth."

Ten seconds.

"Mouth? Oh, yeah, it's mouth." Harry gasped back, visibly shaking.

Eight seconds.

The Basilisk's mouth hung open, pulsating with blood and pain.

Six seconds.

The stone sword was still hilt-deep inside its tongue, not allowing the strange slippery thing peace.

Four seconds.

Its teeth gleamed with the beast's own blood, smeared across the bone, ruining the monotone yellowish color.

Two seconds.

"Go, Harry! Now!"

_Shlunk!_

Harry hissed in pain as he entered the sword into the roof of the Basilisk's mouth. Though the weapon was only made of stone, the mouth of the monster was sensitive enough to cut through the roof and angled just right to slip into the skull of the beast, killing it effectively. Though he was successful, Harry watched as one of the long and dangerous fangs break his skin, letting blood run freely down his arm.

As Harry took the role of slaying the beast, Edward made sure to do his best so the beast didn't squash them. In a move of quick thinking, action, and pure brilliance, Edward had dropped his make shift stone sword in favor of transmuting the ground, creating tight barriers along the snake to try and slow it down as well as hold it in place.

Edward's plan worked, as the snake didn't just run them over. The Basilisk made a few noises that sounded like a cross between coughing and hissing before flopping onto the ground, completely spent and dead.

Edward straightened out of his crouch, carefully dusting some dirt off his shoulders and cracking his neck before leveling a glare at Riddle.

Harry, meanwhile, bit back a cry of pain as he let go of the sword, letting the stone weapon be part of the Basilisk, and removed his arm, feeling the fang that was pierced in his shoulder come loose and clatter to the ground. Harry struggled to stand up but collapsed again. His limbs felt heavy and his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

Edward, unnoticing of Harry's pain, strode forward past the furious Riddle and to Ginny. The poor girl was as pale as a ghost and her chest rose in shallow breaths. Edward could feel it as easily as the moisture in the air; the girl's life force was draining away rapidly. She only had minutes left.

"You're too late. Ginny is almost dead, and my power will soon be restored. You fought _bravely_-" Riddle sneered the word bravely, as if it was curse, "But it was for nothing. You've failed, professor. _Failed._"

Edward threw a smirk back at Riddle, letting all his obnoxious glory flow into his look and reply. "We'll see about that, Riddle."

Grabbing the nearby diary, Edward placed his hands on the evil thing, shocked about what he felt underneath it.

There was something inside the book that was, in every sense of the word, _wrong_. Edward was filled with disgust. More disgust and vileness than ever before. Even the Human experimentation that filled World War II didn't compare what he felt there. Though the severed limbs sown back on to other human beings and awful machines that pigmented the eyes blue made him sick morally, the pure disgust that he felt radiate off this book wasn't just _morally_ wrong, but he felt it in his soul; and not just his, every soul within his was filled with the same awful feeling, like they would never be cleaned again. Something truly terrible was in this book. Horrible and indescribable. Edward was so filled with repulsion, he didn't notice the red flash of alchemy that was purely instinctual that not only broke apart the book, but completely destroy it, not a trace left. Edward felt a shudder run up his spine. Something cold, evil, and nasty leaving forever. The feeling of something dying.

As Edward stared down at where the book used to be held in his hands, Tom Riddle let out a screech, shocking Edward out of his stupor and Harry out of unconsciousness. The two watched as the memory was ripped apart from the inside by blinding, yet dark light. The memory's screech faded away with it and soon there was nothing there, no trace that the memory had ever returned in the first place

Tom Riddle was gone.

Edward jumped when he felt a cold hand grip his flesh knee. Turning around, he watched as Ginny Weasley pulled herself up, obviously still groggy from almost being drained from all her life energy.

"Professor…?" She asked, weakly.

"It's okay, Ginny. You're alright. It's all over now. Riddle is gone and he won't come back." Edward said, hoping that he sounded soothing.

The weak Weasley gave Edward a small nod. Peering around the golden man, her eyes focused on Harry passed out on the ground, twitching slightly.

"Harry!" she cried, panic tinting her raspy voice.

Turning his head around, Edward's gold eyes fell onto the form of poor and obviously poisoned Harry Potter.

"Shit." Edward cursed. Stumbling to his feet, he hurried over to the fallen boy. Rolling the preteen onto his back, Edward searched madly for the wound. His eyes scurried up and down the youth until finally falling still at the bubbling blood that slipped down his arm.

Ripping some fabric off the end of his coat, Edward placed his hand over the wound, feeling the poisoned blood run between his fingers and hearing the poor boy whimper in pain.

Harry twitched some, trying to dislodge the foreign and painful object from his sore arm.

"Stop it, Potter." Edward growled. Focusing on cleaning out the wound and growing cells, Edward focused and allowed his Stone to do most the work. Bright red alchemical light flooded the room, bathing the Chamber in its sharp but soothing light.

Harry slowly opened his eyes, staring up at the foggy but familiar face of a golden haired angel.

"It's okay. You won't die. The venom is gone."

That was the last sentence Harry heard before falling into the dark pit of exhausted sleep.

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Some amount of time later…_

Harry stood at the large, wooden door, feeling apprehension shoot through him. It had only been a few days since the battle in the Chamber and though Harry had been able to understand some of the events that took place, along with freeing Dobby from the wicked claws of the Malfoy's, Harry still didn't understand Elric's part in everything, which were the only questions Harry had that went unanswered by Dumbledore. All the silver haired man had said was to ask Elric and though Harry liked the man and trusted him, it was obvious that the mysterious professor had some secrets and Harry wanted to know what those secrets were. Holding his breath, Harry gave a tentative knock on the door.

"Come in." Elric's voice rang out, clear, but emotionless.

Harry inched open the door. Seeing as Elric had only been packing away what looked like to be research notes on normal, everyday paper, Harry took a few steps inside the classroom before letting the door swing shut.

"Ah. Mr. Potter. What do you want?" Elric asked. Though the words were blunt, they were asked politely and with genuine curiosity that relaxed Harry's nerves greatly.

"Uh, I have some questions, professor. Questions about what happened in the Chamber…" Harry's voice trailed off into nonexistence right as Elric gave a heavy sigh.

The Golden haired professor sunk into his chair, briefly showing his six-hundred years off in his movement and eyes that were lost to the preteen in front of him.

"Well, then. What do you want to know?"

Harry licked and bit his lips, unsure what question he wanted to ask first. Rifling through his mind, he picked one of the top ones that _really _bothered him.

"Why did Riddle keep addressing you as 'sir,' Professor?"

Elric sighed, unsure on how he could answer that question. A few beats passed before he finally answered, feeling the eager eyes of Harry on him the entire time.

"He could tell I was a Hogwarts professor and was trying to rile me up. On top of that, my grandfather used to work here and I've often been told that I resemble him greatly. That's probably why." Elric answered; his voice strong.

Harry stared at the professor. Though the reason felt a little weak to the boy, Harry trusted Elric and could tell that he wasn't lying. Smiling, Harry moved on to the next question.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense. Then why was all the alchemical light red? And how did you heal me?"

Elric briefly closed his eyes before answering the curious preteen. "Sometimes, alchemical light will turn red based on the materials being used and how big the transmutation is. Healing you…well, I've been dabbling in Medical Alchemy for quite some time and though it's very dangerous, there was no other why to heal you. I could've let you die without at least trying, or give it my best shot at getting rid of your wound. Luckily, the latter worked and you were spared."

Harry blinked and stared at awe at his Professor. It wasn't everyday a teacher told a student that even they didn't know everything there was to know about their chosen subject and admitting to almost failing at saving your life. Harry could tell that the questions were taxing on the professor. The man was slunk deep down in his chair and his head was leaned back, eyes closed in what appeared to be exhaustion. Biting back other, less important questions, Harry simply said one more thing.

"Thank you, sir. For everything."

Those words were heavy with honest emotion. In truth, Harry was thankful for everything the eccentric professor did. He was the only one there that believed them, the only one that helped them solve this mystery. Not only that, he was the only one that didn't treat him like a celebrity icon when he first met him. Elric had treated Harry like a normal, everyday kid. And for that, Harry was thankful.

Elric waved his hand back and forth nonchalantly. "No problem, no problem." Taking his head off the back of the chair, sitting up, and opening his eyes, Elric watched Harry take a few steps away from him.

"Oh, and Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, sir?"

Elric gave him a sarcastic smirk. "You know, all this 'sir' and 'Professor Elric' crap gets on my nerves. If I can call you Harry, you can call me Edward. Equivalent Exchange."

Harry stared at Elric in disbelief, briefly remembering the time when Hermione told him that Elric called him by his first name. Blinking a first, Harry let a wide grin adorn his face. "It's a deal…Edward."

Edward's smirk grew. "You did good, Harry. I hope you enjoy your summer."

At once, Harry's face fell. "I'll…try, Edward." Harry turned away.

"Wait, Harry." Edward bit his lips, feeling uncomfortable and unsure on how he should phrase his question. "Is…uh, everything alright at, um, home?"

"Yeah, it's just…well; the Dursley's aren't the most…pleasant of people." Harry stuttered.

Edward stared at Harry, eyes narrowed. "I see." Digging into his pocket, Edward grabbed a scrap of paper. Turning to his desk, he grabbed one of the pencils still rolling around and quickly scribbled down an address.

"Here." Edward shoved the scrap into Harry's hands. "This is my address for my new flat in London. If you have any trouble with your family, don't hesitate to come over, okay?"

Harry stared down at the piece of paper in awe, as if it was a lifeline. Edward watched the boy with careful eyes. He had seen enough child abuse throughout his years to easily recognize that Harry had it pretty bad at home, easily tell-able by the way he simply mentioned his family, Since Edward was supposed to keep him safe, that did count in his time away from Hogwarts and he'd be damned if he didn't keep his promise to Nicholas.

"Thank you, Edward." Harry beamed.

Edward smirked back at the young boy. "No problem Harry. Now, if you would excuse me, I still have some notes to pack and take home and you have to pack as well."

Nodding, Harry said one last goodbye before leaving the room.

Edward let out another sigh and returned to packing up the important notes. He had to mail a few to NASA along with organize the Medical Alchemy ones when he got home. Letting out a groan, Edward shut his suitcase. Unpacking was going to be a bitch, he just knew it.

Leaning against his desk, Edward peered outside to the bright and warm day.

His fortune was really picking up.

Smiling, Edward watched a few birds fly by, unable to keep the fluttering feel of joy in his heart.

It seemed he had a purpose once again.

~~0~~0~~0~~

_To Be Continued…_

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Ok! And we're done!**

**Wow, talk about writers block! No, seriously, this chapter was a complete and total bitch to write. Nothing came out the way I wanted. Well, except the end. But even that feels rushed. I tried to stretch it out as long as possible, but nothing seemed to work.**

**Ugh. Writers block.**

**Now, there's a lot I want to get covered, so let's go!**

**First and foremost, SEQUEL INFO!**

**I've debated and debated and decided to go ahead and post the sequel here. YES! SEQUEL WILL BE POSTED ON THIS FANFIC! (Sorry for caps lock, but if I don't, some numbskull out there still won't read the A/N...)**

**Now, I made this decision because God knows I can't make creative titles… so you guys don't have to hunt for it!**

**Now, yes, it's going to be based on the Prisoner of Azkaban, yes I have the first few chapters outlined and planned, and yes it will have more character development and such compared to this book, which was mostly introductory.**

**Now, when will this be posted?**

**Well, school just ended for me, so now I officially have next to no life! (yay!) And, as it turns out, my summer won't be as packed as I thought it would be. I don't start Drivers Ed until July and Band Camp until August so yay!**

**But, the sequel won't be posted until I edit this entire thing, such as:**

**-Fixing the Nickolas/Nicholas mistakes**

**-Fixing the barley/barely mistakes (damn you, autocorrect!)**

**-A few scenes will be toned down or removed**

**-Some scenes will be added**

**-The first part of the final battle with the Basilisk will be fixed to make more sense**

**After this, the sequel will be posted.**

**And you guys wanna know what really exciting? Daily updates or updates every other day might come back! I'll try my best with daily, but I don't know. I'll let you guys know if I can or not.**

**Now, [enter shameless advertisement here]**

**Since I'm going to be so free, I've decided to start on another crossover just to see if I can balance the two. This fanfiction will come first, believe me, but another one is on the way. I have about half of the first chapter completed and I'm going to eventually post it when I have a couple of chapters typed up.**

**That being said, it's going to be a Harry Potter/Blue Exorcist crossover if anyone is interested and it's going to start at the _Sorcerer's Stone_ instead of _Chamber of Secrets._**

**Hope to see you guys there!**

**[End shameless advertisement here]**

**Now that that's out of the way, I wanna go ahead and thank everyone. I would post everyone's names here, but that would take too much time and, quite frankly, I'm feeling lazy. **

**So, thank you all.**

**I want to especially thank my reviewers. Y'all kept me motivated and you are the reason this story is complete. I read every single review I ever got and they all made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside because it meant that someone took time out of their day to say something. For that, I thank all of you.**

**Now, I also wanna give a shout out to everyone who gave me constructive criticism. While all the reviewers kept me going and writing, y'all wacked me on the head with suggestions and logic that I completely and totally missed. You guys made the this story better and I'll try to use all the knowledge you gave me and suggestions when I go and edit this to make it even better! I love reading things you guys said I could do better, it makes me think and makes me a better writer and that's what fanfiction is all about, right? Writing about characters you love in wacky situations and ways that, at the same time, lets you become better at writing. So, thank you.**

**Now, this author's note is getting too long, to mushy-feely, and I think my natural southern-ness is coming out too much. It's time to wrap up.**

**Thank you. Lurkers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers. Without ya, this story would never exist and I wouldn't love writing as much as I do now.**

**So thank you.**

**And I hope to see all of you when the sequel comes out!**

**I hope everyone has a wonderful life till then. I'll see you guys later!**


	19. EXTRA: Don't even try, Professor Elric

**Disclaimer: I do not own! I do not own!**

**Okay, so I was bored today while editing and such and this little extra was born. It has nothing to do with anything, but because I hate posting chapters that are A/N, I've decided to give y'all something to read and some more information and such at the end of this. So yeah.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward glanced down the long corridor, struggling to keep his dotted body as close to the wall as possible just in case anyone saw him.

Luckily, Edward's attempts were in vain, for no one was down the long stone hallway. Sighing in relief, Edward tip-toed down the hallway, not wanting anyone to see him.

Though Edward was pretty cool and collected on the outside, (though he did seem a little suspicious tip-toeing down deserted corridors) on the inside, he was fuming with anger. It was the Bastard twins again. Though Edward was able to get his revenge for the prank that happened in class via a long detention scrubbing his classroom down with toothbrushes, it didn't stop the blasted twins from playing another, similar prank on him. Though, this time he was covered in bright pink goo that seemed to leave purple dots all over his body. Edward was easily able to get rid of the slime covering him, though de-gumming his automail was certainly a bitch, what Edward couldn't get rid of, however, was the bright, neon purple dots covering all the skin the goo touched. Sadly, because the disgusting liquid was able to bleed through his shirt and pants, he was now completely covered in the bright dots, leaving him disgusted and angry. Unlike the slime, there was no way for the dots to come off. Because it simply discolored his skin and didn't actually cause any harm, the Stone didn't get rid of the distracting pattern. Not only that, Edward couldn't just use alchemy to get rid of the dots because he wasn't so sure what was causing his skin to become patterned in the first place! Sadly, Edward didn't know enough magic to get rid his dotted appearance and because of that, he found himself suspiciously tip-toeing down deserted corridors on the way to Dumble's office, the only place he knew he could safely go without being ridiculed.

Turning another corner, Edward continued on his journey. It was good fortune that kept him from running into anyone so far and as he continued along, Edward got the feeling that he would be able to easily make his way to Dumble's office, no worse for wear.

Yet, just as Edward was getting cocky and turned a corner without seeing if anyone was there, he ran face to face with McGonagall herself.

She seemed shocked to see him come out of nowhere, but that shocked look on her face quickly turned into suspicion, exasperation, then back to shock, all in a span of a couple of seconds.

"Professor Elric! What on _Earth_ happened to you?"

Edward grimaced. He tried his best to avoid McGonagall so she wouldn't recognize him, but as Edward expected, he could never get a break.

"Uh, nothing! Really…" He stuttered, wanting to get away from the stern witch as fast as possible.

"Then what is with your skin? Why aren't you in the Hospital Wing? You've obviously come down with something!" She scolded.

Before she could drag him off for the whole castle to see, Edward quickly grinded out, "No, no! It was the Bas- I mean, the Weasley twins! They pranked me! I swear!"

At once, McGonagall's expression switched from being shocked to exasperation once more. "Of course, of course." She muttered grimly. "But where are you going?" She pressed on.

"I, uh, was actually going to go to Dumbledore's to get my…problem fixed." Edward weakly explained.

As expected, McGonagall rolled her eyes. "It shouldn't take too much to fix this." She said. Stepping much too close to Edward's liking, McGonagall grabbed his cheek and pulled it, staring at the dots with concentration to see what they were. After a few seconds of her concentrated staring and Edward wind milling his hands slightly in surprise and pain, the witch let go.

"This is an easy fix, Professor Elric. Why didn't you fix it?" McGonagall scolded.

Edward gave her a childish shrug.

Rolling her eyes, McGonagall tapped her wand against Edward's skull, muttering some spell he didn't recognize. As she did so, a warm feeling stretched from the top of his head to his toe, along with a light sting that followed after.

Peeking underneath his glove, Edward watched as the neon purple dots disappeared, like they were never there in the first place. Edward was so concentrated on the disappearance of his ailment; he didn't notice McGonagall walking off.

"A word of advice, Professor Elric. Do not try to beat the Weasley twins at their own game. They will always win, hands down."

Edward shut his eyes with a groan.

It was going to be a long year.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Okay! Was that enjoyable? I hope so.**

**Now, let's get down to what's going on and such.**

**Now, for those of you who haven't noticed, I've started giving the chapters names because the sequel will be posted here.**

**Yes, in this fanfic, the sequel will be posted.**

**I'm sayin' it twice because some people are confused.**

**Now, back to chapter names, the chapters with names are the chapters that have been edited. I'm going to try and at least edit two chapters every day if I can. Now, this means that if I only do two chapters every day, and it takes me three days at max to write the first chapter, the sequel should be up in about a week and a half from today so thats...june 22nd. At the latest.**

**Now, [enter shameless advertisement here]**

**As for the Blue Exorcist/Harry Potter crossover that some of you are interested in, the first two chapters are already posted and a third on the way. It's title is Blue Magic, (so original, I know :P) and its going to, at the max, update every three days, though daily updates might happen often as well.**

**Hope to see you guys there!**

**[End Shameless advertisement]**

**I hope I answered any questions that y'all may have and if you still have questions, feel free to PM me. I don't bite, I promise. :)**

**Oh, and as always, thanks for reading!**


	20. Part Two Summary

**Disclaimer: 1 d0n't 0\/\/n (That's how kids spell stuff nowadays...right? Anyways, translation: I don't own.)**

**Heh, nothing really here. Just a summary for the second part. **

**Hope you guys enjoy, none the less!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward's second year teaching at Hogwarts is anything but peaceful. With a mass murderer on the loose, Edward finds it harder than ever to protect Harry from danger, especially when old secrets come to light. With so many questions being passed around, Edward will need all of his skills to keep his ultimate sin in the shadows...or pay the price of all his souls.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Okay...nothing really here. But this is to get you guys excited for the sequel as well as give ya an idea on what it's gonna be about and Edward's role in all this ^.^**

**As always, thanks for reading!**


	21. Color Wheel of Misfortune:Start of Prt 2

**Disclaimer: Yep! Its official! I totally own FMA and HP cause I'm awesome like that! What, you say I'm lying? Well...your right. I don't own! Hehe.**

**Hey guys? How are y'all?**

**I know you've all been waiting for this moment to arise. And it's finally here. I present to everyone, the first chapter of the second part!**

**Hehe, this part will be even more AU then the first part. It'll still be close to the book, but not AS close. Get my drift?**

**Hope you guys enjoy!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_He was flying._

_Colors were all around him. There was no up or down, no time or space._

_He could sense it. All around him, absolutely nothing._

_Yet here he was, flying._

_The vapid and rapid colors all around him were blurred together, impossible beauty that has never been seen before on Earth. And never again._

_Never again._

_The colors blurred together even more, his haunted eyes were wide open, unable to close, accepting of the colors as they grew brighter and brighter, becoming blinding._

_He struggled to move, struggled to leave. He couldn't leave like this! Not knowing, most likely never knowing. He couldn't leave. Sure, he fulfilled his promise; that damn promise that has hung over his head for years and years, speaking of the sin he committed, stepping onto God's territory, staring into the abyss._

_But that's all he did, last time he was here, or, back there, as it is now. Last time he had stared into the abyss, seeing all, how it was, what it needs to be, almost everything there was. Almost. But that was last time. He had been young. So young, so stupid, staring into the face of God, the abyss, like that._

_Now, he's fallen into the abyss._

_He never seems to learn, does he?_

_The colors, rushing by him faster and faster, brighter and brighter, becoming a blinding white light._

_White: The color of purity. _

_White: The color of nothing._

_White: The color of fear. _

_His fear._

_And everything was rushing faster and faster, dragging him along with it. The secretive words of pure Truth echoed in his mind, a mantra of who he is and what was happening. A mantra, forever repeating inside his ears, on his body, deeply within the abyss._

_And within his mind, his sin replaying, again and again and again. All the blood, staining stumps of flesh. His own flesh and blood, staring at him with muted gold eyes, torn apart by black arms that knew no mercy, did not care for age, gender, or race. Arms and hands, made by the darkness of the world's underbelly, tearing and ripping, only knowing of its own brand of justice, a justice known as 'Truth.'_

_And as his sin replayed, along with his last moments. The raw words spoken by monsters, fearful and true. The screaming echoing around inside a hollow metal shell as it was ripped out and spirited away to somewhere familiar and warm, but so dangerous and deadly._

_And even along that last scene before everything became a confusing mess, and his sin, was him watching that monster be torn apart by him and even before that, a human in monstrous flesh falling down before him, muscles becoming gaunt and tight, an indescribable look chiseled onto its features before becoming dust and flying away into the venomous night. And his scream. Full of life and regret. Pain and suffering of committing an act that dark, something he swore never to do._

_He continued to fly._

_He knew nothing._

_Saw nothing._

_Was nothing._

_And his mind and senses fell blank._

_Well, all but one sense. A sense that was all mindless gold, surrounded by warm and liquid white with a single black point puncturing the middle. _

_Time passed…or maybe it didn't. He didn't know. It could've been fluttering heartbeats deep within his chest, formed by his broken heart. It could've been millions of years, everyone dead. Nothing but dust, dancing in the midday sky._

_He did not know._

_He would never know._

_But as his eyes, stained with the image of white: pure nothingness and fear, continued to gaze, deep within the abyss's invisible and intangible walls, he saw it._

_A spark._

_Not just any spark either. Not a spark of electricity. Or alchemy. Or life. No. It was a spark of something so much more to him, breaking the inane monotony the plagued him._

_A spark of pure and beautiful color. So bright and refreshing._

_His mind was reeling. _

_He had forgotten what it looked like. Yellow…warm and delicious. A sour and sweet taste dripping down his throat; created by sunshine fruit growing on trees with something…white and grainy and something refreshing and clear._

_More yellow appeared._

_Something warm was beating on his skin. Warm and nice. He stared upwards, above him completely empty except patches of blue the punctured the white. Deep and light blue that screamed of both nothing and everything._

_He moved his eyes downward. The warm yellow and soulful blue was mixing, creating something new and exciting. New and demanding._

_Green._

_He saw more images. Blades of green. Soft on his feet…foot. All around him. Warm and enjoyable. A bright yellow circle hung in the sky, full and inviting, light blue surrounding it, a warm nest for the bright egg._

_Everything was enjoyable and his torn heart fluttered._

_Once. Twice. Three times._

_Another color punctured the abyss. Deep and loud. Speaking of everything._

_A color known as red._

_Sharp and loud. Quiet and soft. Passion, life, and death._

_The color red spoke all._

_And in his mind, he saw so many images. Sharp and strong against the soft images of yellow, blue, and green._

_A red coat, fluttering on mismatched shoulders._

_Red liquid, thick with life, dripping from his chest as he fell to the ground._

_Red watery substance, filling him with power and danger, tearing him apart from the inside out._

_So many images were related. Yet the most common was the crimson liquid that dripped out of people. So many people. People he knew, but couldn't name. People, who were faceless, yet described perfectly in his mind's eye._

_And the red liquid continued to flow._

_Another color burst into his vision, wonderful, alien, and strange._

_Purple._

_Nothing came to his mind. Royalty and plush seats. Strange, yet subtle. Full of mystery, yet proud for the whole world to see._

_A color that fit him, yet not._

_A color that fit everybody and nobody._

_And last but not least, a bright and nonsensical color appeared. _

_Orange._

_Full of madness. Full of weirdness._

_A completely bizarre beauty that warmed him with a sharp and fiery light._

_A color that burned him._

_Burned everything he owned._

_As the six colors whirled around him, more colors were created. His mind matched them with names, filling him with wonder and joy._

_Brown. Maroon. Burgundy. Indigo. Lavender. Periwinkle. Pink._

_So many colors._

_As they continued to twirl, all around him, the storm of colors became shapes._

_A large car-like thing with wings, flying around a deep and cold blackness, far, far away._

_Large glass box buildings, reaching high into the sky._

_Small and simple homes, side by side, different but the same._

_A huge city with rivers instead of streets._

_Huge gothic buildings, reaching high and strong._

_Dirty people, struggling to make a living on poor farms._

_The colors disappeared. White returned. He fell forward._

_The colors came back. This time, in definite shapes._

_The colors had names. The blue sky above him, filling his vision, sun hanging low in the sky._

_The water below him, filled with green algae. Brown rocks jutted out as well, dangerous and deadly._

_Though he was falling, he was happy. He had escaped the abyss. Somehow, he had done it._

_He was free._

_The teal, algae filled water came closer._

_His happiness disappeared._

_As agony filled every inch of him, a new color took his vision._

_Oppressing and terrible._

_Black._

_He hadn't escaped through the abyss._

_He had fallen through and into the other side._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Harry scowled as he stormed down the street. His knuckles were tight and gaunt on the handle of his trunk.

_I'm done. Done with that lot! _He thought viciously. His trunk bumped against the pavement, dipping at every line and crunching every rock.

Harry walked on, his face red and steaming. Rage coursed through his veins, fiery and hot. Memories of what just happened continued to replay in his mind, unable to disappear.

Marge. The dog. The Dursley's. Accidental magic.

Harry slowed down his fast and violent pace as his mind came across the worried and cursed words of 'accidental magic.' Last year Dobby had caused him to get a warning, even though it wasn't even his fault. Now, he did do accidental magic, blowing his aunt up and letting her fly away.

Harry swallowed thickly, fear stinging his mind. Would he be expelled from Hogwarts now? His wand split in two? Unable to escape the Dursley's?

Harry shook his head violently and picked up his pace again. No. He won't go back there again. He won't. But where else could he go? If he _was_ on the run for using accidental magic, then he couldn't go to Hogwarts. He would have to stay in the shadows, somehow find some money and a place to stay. Or he could let himself get caught. Let his wand get snapped. Maybe he would be able to live with Hagrid and help him with his duties as Keeper of the Keys?

Harry watched as the untamable fiery sun started to dip below the horizon, falling underneath the Earth. Pausing his fast walk, Harry took a second to admire the star as it took its nightly journey. As darkness fell all around him, Harry held tightly onto his trunk and walked on, much calmer than before. His mind went blank as he focused on everything that was going on around him, which wasn't much. Besides a light breeze that lightly blew his hair, everything was incredibly quiet. Every boring house on the street had their lights out, all ready for bed.

The night was cool, but oppressive, a slight creepy feeling hanging in the air, not strong enough to put fear into Harry's heart, but strong enough to send nervous shivers racing up and down his spine.

Harry walked and walked, ignoring the growing tenseness in the air. His trunk hitting every line in the sidewalk was the only noise worth noting penetrating the still air.

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

Over and over and over again.

Harry continued to walk until he came across the park. Staring at the metal playground, Harry was swamped with memories of both being bullied terribly by Dudley along with him running away to sit and think, escaping torture from other kids and adults. It was one of the places he went when he could escape the house.

Sitting down on the curb, Harry felt his wand in his pocket, reassuring him. If anyone or anything came out to get him…well, he already broke the rules, hadn't he? A spell to defend himself wouldn't make his charges more severe. At least, he didn't think so.

Without the constant _thunks_ of his trunk, Harry could clearly hear every abnormal and creepy noise that happened. The slight creaking of the swing set behind him, the light rustling of trees as the light wind blew them to and fro. The very small _crunch, crunch _as something stalked towards him, hidden in the shrubs…

Harry jumped up with alarm, fear and adrenaline pumping through his heart and veins.

_Crunch. Crunch._

Harry felt panicked as he realized he was all alone. Alone, and practically defenseless. It doesn't matter how terrible the Dursley's are or how angry he was. It was safer back in that horrid house than out here.

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

It was getting closer, bolder. Harry fumbled as he withdrew his wand. His hands were shaking terribly, unable to grip the comforting wood.

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

Harry dropped his wand, the dark concrete swallowing up the stick easily. Bending down quickly, Harry felt around for the weapon in the dark, keeping his eyes wide opened, staring and unblinking at the shrubs across the street from him.

_Crunch. Crunch._

Harry was able to grab his wand. Fishing it up from the hard and rough concrete, he pointed ahead of him, at the bushes.

_Crunch._

It was here.

Harry make out much, but there was clearly something there, hiding from the light, deep in the darkness. Though all Harry could see was a large, roughly animal shape, fear spiked through him. Harry could clearly feel the creatures eyes on him, dark and animalistic. Though Harry couldn't see it, he knew that the thing across the street was dangerous. Could feel it all the way to his bones. Those hidden eyes were glaring at him, ready to pounce and chew. Staring ahead, pure fear causing him to freeze, Harry knew that what was before him was not just as animal, but something terrifying and dark.

_BANG!_

Light blinded Harry as a large gunshot-like noise cracked open the air, spilling its tenseness and oppression into the street and down the sewage. Harry fell backwards right onto his butt. Though the noise and light surprised him, he was able to keep a good grip on his wand this time. Looking up, Harry was greeted with a friendly face staring down at him from a purple…bus? Yeah, it was definitely a bus. Triple decker by the looks of it. On its side, it said in swirly script, _The Knight Bus_.

The friendly looking man leaned out the open door, light spilling all around. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve-"

The conductor's loud voice fell silent as he caught sight of Harry who was still sitting on the ground. Scrambling up to his feet, Harry stuffed his wand back into his pocket. Looking at Stun, Harry was a bit surprised when he saw the man was just a few years older than him with a few noticeable pimples and very large ears.

"What were you doin' down there?" Stan asked, dropping his professional manner.

"Fell over." Grunted Harry.

Stan sniggered. "'Choo fall over for?"

Irritated, Harry said, "I didn't do it on purpose." Rubbing his tailbone in pain, Harry dusted some dirt off his shirt. Remembering the terrifying black thing that had been watching him moments before, Harry quickly peered around the bizarre purple bus. The sidewalk and shrubs were alight and nothing was there. Glancing at the ground, Harry noticed that the thing didn't even leave footprints.

Like it was never even there.

Biting back a shudder, Harry turned back to Stan who was now looking at him as if he were crazy.

"'Choo lookin' at?" Asked Stan.

"Um…nothing." Harry dismissed quickly. He wasn't so sure what he saw was even real. Though, if it wasn't real…well, he was pretty sure seeing things wasn't good in the Wizarding World either.

"Woss that on yer 'ead?" Stan continued abruptly, staring at his forehead.

Flattening down his hair over his scar, Harry barked out a quick "Nothing," He didn't want the Ministry of Magic tailing already.

"Woss yer name?" Stan persisted.

"Neville Longbottom." Harry said quickly, thinking of the first name that came to his head. "So, this…bus, did you say it can go _anywhere_? Harry continued, trying to distract Stan.

"Yep." Stan said, puffing up with pride. "Anywhere you like on land. Can't do nuffink underwater. 'Ere," he said, looking at Harry suspiciously, "you _did_ flag us down, dincha? Stuck out yer wand 'and dincha?"

"Yes." Harry said quickly. Thinking hard, Harry slipped his hand into his back pocket unconsciously. However, he didn't expect to feel a rumpled piece of paper inside. Blinking, Harry smiled slightly as he remembered who gave him the scrap of paper. "Listen, how much would it be to get to London?"

"Eleven Sickles," said Stan, "but firteen will get you a 'ot chocolate and fifteen will get you a 'ot water bottle an' toothbrush of the color of yer choice."

Rummaging in his trunk, Harry extracted his money and gave the correct amount to Stan. Pocketing the money, the two lifted Harry's trunk, Hedwig's cage balanced on top, up the steps of the bus.

Stepping into the bus, Harry noticed that there were no seats; instead there was a half dozen brass bedsides stood beside the curtained windows. Candles were burning hot inside brackets besides each bed, making the wood-paneled walls glow with a warm yellow light. An old wizard with a nightcap muttered strange things as he slumbered. Chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, unlit candles still dripping small bits of wax.

"You 'ave this one." Stan grunted, shoving Harry's trunk under the bed right behind the driver, who was an elderly looking wizard with thick glasses. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Neville Longbottom, Ern."

The elderly driver turned around in his armchair, giving a short but friendly nod to Harry. In response, Harry nervously flattened his bangs once again and sat at the edge of his bed.

"Take 'er away, Ern." Stan said, sitting down in his own armchair next to Ernie's.

_BANG!_

Harry found himself flat on his bed, thrown backwards by the speed of the purple bus. Pulling himself up into a sitting position, Harry moved the curtain to the side, staring out at the dark night, seeing a completely different street. Everything was blurring together, a whirl of dark and moody colors. Stan watched Harry's stunned face with enjoyment.

Turning away from the blurry and dark night, Harry glanced at Stan, noticing him uncurling a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and was now reading, tongue gripped between his teeth with concentration. A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair stared back at Harry. He looked vaguely familiar.

"That man! He was on the Muggle news!" Harry gasped in surprise, forgetting his troubles for a moment.

Turning to the front page, Stan looked at the picture and chuckled.

"Sirius Black," He said, nodding. "'Course he was on the Muggle news, Neville, where you been?" He gave a superior chuckle at the blank look Harry gave him and removed the front page, handing it over to Harry.

"You oughta read the paper more." He bereted.

Holding up the paper to the warm candlelight, Harry read the article

**BLACK STILL AT LARGE**

_Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today. "We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm." Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Confederation of Wizards for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis. "Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it - who'd believe him if he did?" While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse._

Harry stared into Black's shadowed eyes, the only part of his thin face that seemed alive. Harry had never met a vampire, but he'd seen pictures in his Defense against the Dark Arts classes, and Black looked just like one.

"Scary-lookin' fing, isnee?" Stan said, having watched Harry read the article.

"He murdered _thirteen _people," Harry gasped, handing the paper back to Stan. "With _one _curse?"

"Yep. In front of witnesses an' all. Broad daylight. Big trouble it caused, dinnit, Earn?"

"Ar." Ernie muttered darkly, eyes still focused ahead.

Stan swiveled around to face Harry completely. "Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-Oo. When little 'Arry Potter got the better of 'im…"

Harry nervously flattened his hair for a third time.

"All 'is supporters was tracked down. Most knew it was all over an' came quietly. But not Sirius Black. The cornered him in a street full of Muggles. Black took out 'is wand an' blasted 'alf the street apart, an' a wizard got it, an' so did a dozen Muggles got in that way. Orrible, eh? An' you know what Black did then?" Stan continued in a dramatic whisper.

"What?" Asked Harry, staring at Stan with wide eyes.

"_laughed_." Stan said. "Jus' stood there an' laughed. 'es mad, inee, Ern? Inee mad?"

"If he weren't when he went to Azkaban, he will be now." Ernie muttered in his slow voice.

Harry swallowed thickly, thinking back to what he did a few hours before. He had broken the law, just like Black. Would he be sent to Azkaban? Harry didn't really know much about the prison, but what little he's heard of it, he could tell it was a fearful place. Hagrid had only spent a few months there last year and Harry couldn't forget the look of terror that crossed his face every time it was mentioned and Hagrid was one of the bravest people Harry knew.

The Knight Bus continued to barrel through the night. As the night continued on, passengers slowly trickled out of the bus, finally reaching their destination happily until Harry was the last one on the bus.

"Right then, Neville." Stan said, clapping his hands together merrily. "Where to in London?"

Reaching into his back pocket, Harry fished out the little scrap of paper. Unfolding the rumpled paper the best he could, Harry read of the address printed messily in pen.

"Ain't that a Muggle place? Well, 'Old tight, then…"

_BANG!_

The bus thundered along the new road, buildings tall and proud squeezing the side of the bus as it dodged Muggle cars that sped along the road. Harry stared outside, noticing the sky getting a little lighter. If anyone could help him, it would definitely be Edward. The man did say to come over whenever he needed to and based off his personality, Harry could tell that Edward didn't exactly always listen to the rules. Or, in this case, laws.

Finally, the bus shuddered to a stop besides some normal looking flats. Thanking both Ernie and Stan as jumped off the steps, his heavy trunk having already been lowered by Stan. Taking the handle, Harry ignored the large _BANG!_ That shot through the air as the Knight bus took off once again. Holding the little scrap of paper in front of him, Harry quickly found Edward's flat.

Heaving his trunk up every step, Harry was gasping for breath by the time he reached the top. Staring at the black painted door, Harry hesitated briefly before knocking loudly three times.

A few moments later, Harry heard the sound of someone tripping and something falling down. Muffled curses in an unknown language were heard through the wooden door. Backing away from the entrance, the black door swung open, revealing a pair of tired golden-eyes and a head of unbound messy golden hair.

"Harry?" Edward muttered, sleep in his voice.

"Hey, Edward. Um, I…kinda need help…" Harry said awkwardly and nervously.

"Help?" Edwrad asked, his voice growing stronger as he woke up.

Harry swallowed. "Yeah…you see…I'm kinda running from the law."

Edward straitened his back immediately, all sleep gone from the messy man.

"_What?!_"

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Well, look at that! Things are already vastly different from the book! I did good.**

**Anyways, nothing much has been going on. I'll try to get the second chapter out soon, but it might be a while.**

**Right now, I'm balancing two fanfictions. The next chapter for this fanfiction will be posted after I post the fourth chapter of _Blue Magic_**_  
_

**When will that be? I...have no clue. It's been slow going but it shouldn't take _too _long. Hopefully.**

**Oh, and I forgot to mention. Back when I was proof reading the first part, I noticed I put in a _lot_ of easter eggs by accident.**

**And I mean a lot. **

**So, because I'm not going change it or anything, I'll make it a bit of a game. See if you can find all the easter eggs I've accidently put into this story.**

**the easter eggs can be anything, song titles, bits of lyrics, band names, TV show names, pop culture, theories, conspiracies...ect.**

**Now, rereading this chapter, there _is _an easter egg hidden in it. It's pretty obscure in this chapter, (ok, _really _obscure) but see if you can find it.**

**Anyways, as always, thanks for reading and drop a review if you want! You guys know by now that I love 'em!**


	22. Sleep is a Beautiful Thing

**Disclaimer: Hasn't it been said enough? If you recognize anything from FMA or HP, it's not mine!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Everything was dark._

_There was no light, no sound but the blood rushing through his ears._

_Oh, and that terrible ringing as well._

_Blackness consumed him, darker than the night. The darkness was all consuming and shocking to his golden orbs that have only seen bright whiteness and heart-stopping bursts of color for a long time._

_There was pressure there too, along with the darkness. Pressing on all sides, every inch of his skin felt the oppressive weight, like something was pulling him down._

_He let the blackness take him, whatever there was left to take. He honestly didn't know what he looked like anymore, he didn't know what he was either. Species names flew through his mind._

_Procyon lotor,_ _Panthera leo, Canis lupus, Catrol Vancliechin, Musa × paradisiaca,_ _Homo sapiens._

_Homo sapiens. That rang a bell. A quiet bell, tolling at the back of his mind, soft, gentle, and staccato. _

_He let the darkness drag him on._

_The bell got louder._

_Homo sapiens._

_And louder._

_Homo sapiens._

_Until it was deafening._

_Human._

_Human. That's what he was. A human._

_But, what was a human?_

_Something small and insignificant, but large and mighty._

_Creatures…like God._

_Wait…God. He's seen God. _

_There is no God._

_There is only Truth. He remembers. Truth. The universe. Him._

_That's all there was._

_But who is he? What is he?_

_Human._

_The darkness dragged him deeper._

_He was a human. There was no doubt about that. He was a human. Insignificant, but somehow incredibly important._

_Really, really, important. To someone out there, he was important._

_But who?_

_Who…who…who…_

_Alphonse._

_Al._

_The bell was all he heard. He could no longer hear the rushing in his ears. It was there, but not._

_Just like Al. His brother._

_Memories started coming through to him, memories fighting the blank blackness in his mind. Fermented and disturbing memories sure, but they were his._

_Memories of gold hair and dark gold eyes, filled to the brim with light and wonder, only to be replaced by twin glowing points, trapped within a hard metal shell._

_The darkness started lessening. _

_All because of him._

_Oppression was freeing him, but still there, concentrated tightly around his arm, the only one he felt._

_All that pain, that sin…it was his fault. He pushed. He ignored. It was all his fault, no matter what anyone says._

_Inside the blackness, bursts of dark green and purple came out of nowhere. Coldness slipped off him, dripping. The pressure was still there._

_It was his entire fault. His burden alone to carry._

_The darkness was lessening. The pressure was gone, only to return hard against his back and legs._

_And carry it he did. Only he could make this right._

_The darkness was mostly gone. Light shone through the blackness, but not quite. Like something simple and known blocking it._

_Did he make it right? _

_Eyelids._

_Yeah. He made it right. He kept his promise._

_There was warmth now, battling the shivers that threatened to consume him. Still, the heat was there._

_He always kept his promises; no matter what._

_He opened his eyes. _

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward stared at the black-haired kid standing at his doorway.

Blinked.

Then stared some more.

"_What?!"_ Edward repeated loudly.

Harry glanced around nervously, hoping that no one was awakened by Edward's loud voice. "Well, er, I made…a little mistake. I need help." Harry said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Wait, wait, wait. Back up. What do you mean you're running from the law?!" Edward gasped, staring at the young teen in front of him. Harry broke a law. Was the universe _trying_ to make his promise more difficult to keep?

"Well, um, I accidentally broke the, um… Statute of Secrecy." Harry spit out, remembering the letter he got not just a few hours ago.

Edward let out an irritated sigh before holding the door opened wider, allowing Harry to slip past him inside. Glancing back, Harry watched as Edward shut the door.

Harry stared around, taking in Edward's flat. Though Harry never gave much thought on what his professor's living space looked like, what he saw didn't really surprise him in the least.

Despite the fact that Edward had already been living here several months, there were still boxes scattered about. Most were open, overflowing with all sorts of different papers. Upon taking a slightly closer look at them, Harry noticed that not all the papers were, well, made of paper. There was parchment there too, along with other notes that were neither paper nor parchment, but something completely different that Harry couldn't name. Letting his eyes scan the, what looked to be research notes, Harry quickly noticed they were in a language he'd never seen before. Pulling his eyes away from the unreadable notes, Harry let himself stare around the room, taking in the blank white walls with nothing on them, the already overflowing desk crammed against the wall, tall, towering bookshelves packed with all sorts of texts and tomes, and a single couch that was pushed on the opposite wall of the desk.

"Sorry it's a bit messy. I've been…busy as of late." Edward apologized, swinging the door close and turning to Harry. "Sit down. What's this nonsense about running from the law?"

Harry gave Edward a small nod and sat down on the well-worn red couch. Sinking into the seat and back some, Harry watched Edward walk across the room and sit at his desk, turning the swivel chair around so it faced him. Upon slight closer inspection, Harry noticed that the young professor wore gloves even when he was asleep, which he had to admit, was pretty strange. Crossing his arms over his chest, the eccentric teacher waited for Harry to tell his story.

Sighing, Harry began his story from the beginning. From the start of the disastrous dinner to her blowing up like a balloon, casing Edward to laugh loudly.

"You blew her up and she floated away?" Edward snickered, unable to hold the mirth inside him. Even though Edward wasn't a huge fan of magic, even he had to find this little incident hilarious.

Harry gave Edward a small scowl. "It's not funny, Edward! I broke the law! I might be sent to wizard prison!"

"What? This is hilarious! Besides, by the sound of it, that bitch deserved to be blown away anyways!" Edward defended, his laughter dying down.

Harry shook his head. "It doesn't matter if she deserved it or not. I still broke the law."

Edward rolled his eyes at the young teen. "Whatever. Continue with your story."

Biting his lip, Harry continued on, telling the tale of running away and, eventually, being stalked by…something. As Harry expected, Edward interrupted his story once again.

"Are you sure it wasn't a dog? Sounds like some wild mutt to me." Edward asked.

Harry shook his head again, wilder than before. "No! It was…it felt…like something dark. Dangerous..." Harry gulped. Staring down at his clasped hands, he finally whispered, "_evil._"

Edward blinked, concern washing over the golden man. "Evil, huh? Well…it's gone now. Just…be careful." Edward continued to watch the young boy, eyes narrowed. Large, dog-like, and evil? Though Edward had experienced many things in his many years on Earth, he had never had an encounter like the one Harry was describing. It was worrying, but Edward didn't let it get to him too much. There are many things in this world that he hadn't discovered or completely understood, but that didn't mean anything. Nothing was unexplainable, and logic and science always brought the unknown into light. Whatever Harry had come into contact with wasn't unexplainable, and that in itself chased away Edward's worries.

Shaking himself slightly, Edward tried his best to comfort the teen in front of him, clearly seeing the younger's stress. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, Harry. The thing's long gone by now and I doubt you'll see it again. If you do, however, just remember that though it may be dangerous, it doesn't mean that it's unexplainable."

Harry gave Edward a weak smile. He knew that the professor was trying to comfort him, but it was obvious he didn't know how. In a way, Edward's words made Harry feel even worse about the incident. Shaking the shivers that were crawling up and down his spine away, Harry continued to tell his tale, how the Knight Bus saved him and how he got here.

After finishing the tale, Harry stared at Edward. Though he was waiting for the older man to say something of interest or tell him what to do, the only thing the young teen heard were some mutterings about "crazy and nonsensical wizard transportation…," causing the black-haired kid to roll his eyes.

After muttering to himself, Edward turned back to Harry. "To be completely honest, Harry, I have no clue on what we should do. I mean there's nothing we _can _do. The only times I've ever run from the law…well, you don't need to know about it."

Harry stared at Edward with wide eyes. "Times? As in more than once?" He spluttered.

Edward rolled his eyes. Okay, only _three _times. And it was all a misunderstanding! Well, twice that was…" He ended, muttering to himself. Harry watched as Edward fell silent, a nostalgic look in his eyes. Though Harry hadn't paid much attention to it before, the golden professor often got that look, though Harry wasn't so sure why.

Harry cleared his throat. "Edward? Um…Edward?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Right. The law." Edward said quickly, snapped out of his trance. "Well, how 'bout you stay the night here? It's late at night and we can figure out what to do once it's light out."

Harry nodded and thanked the professor, grateful that he had somewhere to go.

Standing up, Edward rolled a crink out of his neck as he went into his bedroom and grabbed an extra pillow and blanket for Harry to use. Returning to the main room, Edward gave the blue blanket and black pillow to the teen, bidding him goodnight as he shut off the lights and returned to his own room.

Shifting around on the squashy couch to try and get into a good position, Harry let his eyes roam across the darkened room. No light from the outside filtered through the dark curtains Edward had on his windows.

_Why does he need such thick curtains? _Harry wondered, along with the fact that the space in the flat was hardly livable and the fact that he wore gloves to sleep, along with long sleeves and socks despite the fact that it was summer.

_Weird…_

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward shut his bedroom door, sighing and rubbing his face. _Harry, Harry, Harry… _he thought, shaking his head some. The school year hasn't even started yet and he was already in trouble. The kid really did need protecting.

Peeling off all the long clothes he was wearing, Edward quickly changed into a T-shirt and shorts. Despite it being summer, it was still cold enough to warrant a shirt when sleeping. Leaving the long clothing close by to change into in the morning, Edward quickly crawled under his covers, struggling to find comfort on the hard box spring and mattress that made up his bed. _I really need to get a bed frame…_ He thought as he stared up at the ceiling.

Edward stared at the ceiling for a long while, the only noises heard being the night wind as it blew and the soft mumble of souls in him that were still awake for whatever reason.

As the night, or early morning, however you looked at it, carried on, Edward found himself wondering about things as he did every night. Theories and notes whirled about inside his mind, trying to find understanding in many theories at once. From Alchemy to interstellar space travel, from religion to conspiracies, all sorts of questions rolled around, unanswerable for now.

Rolling over onto his side, Edward thought about his theory on why he even needed to sleep and eat.

He had stumbled upon the theory only a couple of months ago. Though he's always wondered, he never really thought about it until recently, though if his hypothesis was correct, it would mean many new questions would open up about his Stone.

Though the Stone did keep him alive, it was his core after all, his bodily functions were still working, telling him to do the natural and human things to do simply because that's what his body was use to and was comfortable. He was _used _to sleeping and eating. Though sleep rarely came to him and was often times painful, it was a way to kill time that couldn't be used for a greater purpose, and it often time let his mind relax so he wouldn't over think things. Edward often found himself quickly figuring out an answer to a seemingly impossible question after a couple of hours of sleep. As for eating, Edward figured that was truly and purely for comfort. The food that he ate ended up burned up by the power of his Stone. He ate food 'cause he _wanted _to and because it was enjoyable. No other reason but that.

As Edward still pondered his theory and eating and sleeping, he didn't even realize he was quickly falling asleep. As his last thoughts played, he quickly fell into the lull of sleep.

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Knock, knock, knock._

Edward groaned.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Cracking open an eyelid, Edward gave his door a small, sleepy glare before turning back around and burying himself underneath his covers, warm and safe.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Edward gritted his teeth and buried himself deeper. They'll eventually go away. Hopefully.

"Edward, there's someone at the door." The sleepy voice of Harry said on the other side of his door.

Grunting, Edward dragged himself out of bed, rubbing his bleary eyes. Taking a glance down at himself, Edward pulled on his longer trousers and shirt, along with his socks and gloves. Stumbling around a bit and almost tripping over his dresser _again_, he, as quick as he could, made himself look a little better before opening his door.

Harry took a couple of steps back when the door swung open wide, revealing an irritated and tired Edward.

"What is it?" Edward grumbled, taking in the rumpled and messy look of the young teen in front of him.

Swallowing dryly, Harry croaked out, "There's someone at the door."

"Who is it?" Edward asked, irritated that some people simply couldn't let others sleep peacefully at…Edward glanced at the clock on the wall, 10:47.

Harry simply shrugged. Though he would've normally answered the door, he wasn't so sure if Edward would mind or not so to be on the safe side, he simply went to wake up the man, grateful that he wasn't violet when he first woke up in the morning.

Hissing slightly as he pushed past the young boy, Edward dragged himself to the front door. Glaring at the entrance, he peered through the small peeping hole, burning an older looking portly man with his gaze. Agitated, Edward swung open the door.

"What'd you want?" He asked with a growl, not caring that he was being rude or using proper grammar.

The portly man stared down at Edward with a mixture of faint recognition and annoyance. "Hello. Is Mister Potter here? I would like to speak with him." He said, getting straight to the point.

Edward frowned. "What'd you want?" he repeated.

The man sighed, annoyed. "I must speak with Mister Potter. It is quite urgent and I do know he is here. I'm on a tight schedule, so…" Whipping out a stubby looking wand, the man pointed it at Edward and muttered a spell under his breath.

Much to the man's surprise, Edward didn't move at all. In fact, there was no response at all from the spell hitting the man in front of him.

The man lost his calm and cool demeanor, reverting back to his bumbling self. "Huh?" he grunted, confused.

Edward continued to frown at the man, unperturbed by the fact that the spell didn't affect him. "Listen, if you're just going to waste my time, I suggest you leave right now before I make you." He threatened.

The man rose to his full height, full of his own pride. "Now listen here. I know Mister Potter is here and I know you work at Hogwarts. This is official Ministry business and if you do not allow me inside, there will be consequences for you." He said, his voice full of self-importance.

Edward leered at him, unwavering. "No. I don't think so. This is my property as long as I live here and you better get the hel-"

"Ed- I mean, Professor Elric, um, please let him inside and let him talk." Harry asked from behind, trying to keep the slight fear out of his voice. Though seeing the Minister of Magic scared him to death, he knew he couldn't just run forever; he was simply not made for running from the law and deception.

Giving Harry a surprised look, Edward moved out of the way to allow the man inside. Letting out an exasperated huff, the man promptly strode inside, taking a second to glance around at the messy bookshelves and boxes. Twitching his nose slightly, he made his way over to Harry, whom was standing incredibly stiff.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Harry. I am Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic."

Harry tried his best to pretend to be surprised. Though Fudge didn't know it, Harry had already seen him last year when he was at Hagrid's hut. Meanwhile, Edward cocked an unimpressed eyebrow. _Really? This is the Fudge-guy? The leader? How pathetic._

As Edward went through his mental list on how wizards were pathetic and old-fashioned, Harry continued to stare up at the Minister. "Wh-what?

"Here, how about we have a seat, unless, of course…" Fudge looked at the erratic Professor. Though it took a few seconds before he responded, Edward did give an irritated signal that it was okay to sit on the couch. Leering at the Minister, Edward took his own seat at his desk, waiting patiently for the man to hurry up and leave.

"Well, Harry." Fudge said as the two got seated. Though he did give Edward a look out of the corner of his eye, it was obvious that the golden man wasn't going to leave. "You've had us all in a right flap. Running away from your aunt and uncle's. Coming to a…" Fudge glanced around the messy flat. "A strange muggle place. Took us a while to track you down! And to a Professor's house at that. Quite a…strange turn of events, wouldn't you say?" He said, giving Edward another look.

"Well, er, I-" Harry started to say, unable to explain.

Fudge held up a hand. "No need to explain, Harry. As long as you're safe, it hardly matters. Now, you will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two-"

Edward couldn't help but let out a small, amused chuckle at the woman's name. Honestly! Who names their child 'Marjorie?'

Fudge turned and gave Edward an irritated glare while Harry simply gazed upon him in slight confusion. Covering up his chuckles as coughs, Edward motioned for the two to continue.

"As I was saying, two of our members from the Accidental Magic Reversal Department were dispatched to Privet Drive last night. Miss Dursley was deflated and her memory modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all." Fudge said, smiling down at Harry in a superior sort of way.

In his chair, Edward let out a small, quiet snort. Another reason why he disliked wizards in general: Their over-use of memory modification, which was wrong in every sense.

Harry just remained quiet.

"Ah, you're probably worrying about the reaction to your aunt and uncle." Fudge chuckled. "Well, I won't deny that they are extremely angry, but they are prepared to take you back next summer as long as you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays."

Harry looked slightly disgusted. "I _always_ stay at Hogwarts during Christmas and Easter. He said. "and I don't ever want to go back to Privet Drive." At this, Harry gave Edward a pleading looking that was completely lost to Fudge.

Edward simply stared back, his face calm, cool, and unreadable.

"Now, now. I'm sure you'll feel differently once you've calmed down." Fudge replied, worried. "They _are_ your family, after all and I'm sure you care about one another-um-_very_ deep down."

Harry made no move to correct Fudge. He simply sat there, patiently, and waited for the man to continue. At his desk, Edward merely rolled his eyes. This man was very blind. And stupid.

"So all that remains is where you will spend your last two days of your vacation. Though it was very kind for…" Fudge glanced at Edward, a little lost at to what his name was. "…Professor Elric to take you in, it's hardly appropriate for you to stay with one of your professors."

Edward sighed. Though he would rather Harry stayed here with him, he figured that Harry would be taken somewhere else. Even in the normal world, students never stayed with their teachers over a break. It was…wrong.

Harry, meanwhile, looked a tad worried. "Then where will I be staying?" He asked.

Fudge waved his hand nonchalantly. "No worries, no worries! I can easily take you to the Leaky Cauldron, where you can rent a room. Now, if you would gather your things, Harry…"

Harry blinked. "What? Right now?" He asked dumbly.

Fudge nodded a patient nod, as if he were conversing with a toddler instead of a young teen. "Yes, right now. There's no better time than the present, as they say…right?"

Edward rolled his eyes. Really? _This _was the leader to the entire British Wizarding culture?

Harry blinked again. Joining Fudge as he stood up, Harry went over to his trunk and dragged it over. Since he skipped on changing into pajamas last night, there was nothing to gather.

"Wait, wait. What's my punishment?" Harry asked quickly, almost forgetting what he had been worried about ever since last night.

Still sitting down, Edward gave Harry wild hand motions to _shut the hell up_, which didn't go unnoticed and caused the two wizards to stare at him as if he were crazy. _Honestly! _Edward thought. _Who asks what their punishment is if it's obviously they just got away! Ugh. This kid has a lot to learn…_

Turning back to Harry, Fudge gave out another, fake sounding, laugh. "Punishment?"

"I broke the law!" Harry said hotly. "The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"

Fudge laughed even more. "Oh, my dear boy, we're not going to punish you for a little thing like that!" Fudge cried. "It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban for blowing up their aunts!"

"But, but…" Harry trailed off, completely confused.

Fudge clapped his hands together loudly. "Well, if that's it, let's get going. Shall we, Harry?"

Harry sighed. "Yeah. I guess."

Edward stood up slowly. "Well, Harry. I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts."

Harry gave Edward a thankful look. "Yeah, I guess…_sir_. Oh, and, um, thank you."

Edward gave the young teen a smirk. He'll have to make sure to chew Harry out about asking for punishment later. "It's no problem, Mister Potter. No problem at all."

Leading the duo to the door, Edward gave Harry one last goodbye and Fudge one last glare before letting them out.

As Fudge turned away, Edward could clearly see the suspicion and the look that stated quite clearly, _we're going to keep an eye on you_.

Closing the door behind the two, cutting off Fudge's suspicious glare, Edward rolled his eyes. Opening his mouth, Edward asked to no one in particular, "What the hell? It's not like I'm a pedophile or something!"

The souls in him, who had been quiet the entire exchanged, couldn't help but guffaw, laugh, chuckle, and giggle at Edward's response.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Woah. What has it been? A month?**

**Yeah. And remember what I said about summer and frequent updates? Toss that out the window! It's unneeded! **

**Well, let's see what excuse I can drag up from the bottomless barrel of excuses.**

**...**

**Okay, sure, Driver's Ed is a bitch. We know this. Watching people get in car crashes day in and day out in videos isn't fun. Especially since they didn't try to censor anything, showing us chunks of brain splattered about, and entire human body twisted in on itself, and cut off limbs sewn everywhere, plus all the emotional drama that comes with it.**

**Yup. Not fun. But that isn't what's been eating up my time.**

**Here's what I've dragged up from the bottom of my excuse barrel. The worst excuse to date.**

**I was lazy.**

**There's no getting around that. I was too busy playing video games, (I AM a gamer, after all) as well as watching Anime and Dexter, I've been...lazy. Constantly pushing this chapter back.**

**But! But, but, but! Just when I was losing my muse for this story and falling into the pit of no return! I came back, via song!**

**Yup. Listened to a certain song, which is pretty much the theme of this entire fanfiction. I WOULD share the song, however, it would spoil this fanfiction!**

**Spoil? You say. Yes, because as of right now, this fanfiction has a proper ending! In fact, every book but the fourth is roughly outlined! Which is actually kinda bad now that I think of it...but oh well! Grrr...it's so exciting! **

**Anyways...besides that...there's nothing much to say about this chapter. Obvious Easter egg in chapter title is obvious and...yeah. **

**Welp! I, as always, thanks for reading this chapter! Sorry not a lot happened...but whatever! If you have time, feel free to review! I love them, as you all know by now!**


	23. Much ado about Nothing

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own either FMA or HP**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_His vision was blurry. Everything melded together in large and ugly bursts of colors. His nose and mouth were filled with what tasted like water. Shaking the pressure on his good arm off, Edward rolled around in the muddy grass, coughing up nasty water._

_As the blended colors slowly found their place, Edward was increasingly aware that someone had saved him from drowning. Blinking the black spots out of his eyes, Edward laid on his back and stared up at the man who saved his life._

_Blue, shining eyes met his own golden orbs. Brown, tousled hair that stuck up in every direction wrapped around a pale, shapely face that was only a few years older than himself. The man smiled down at Edward, glad that the young blond-haired kid was safe._

_Edward sat up quickly, causing a wave of dizziness to wash over him, much to the surprise to the young man. Bending down next to the child, he forced Edward to lie back down._

"_Do not move. You're badly hurt." The man scolded, glancing around warily._

_Edward simply stared up at the man. _"_Huh?"_

_The man gave Edward a slightly grim smile. At least he could make some sort of noise. That was a good sign._

_Edward, meanwhile was staring up at the man with wide, confused, golden eyes. He had no idea what his savior just said and on top of that, he didn't recognize the language what-so-ever. It was too smooth to be Drachman, but not smooth enough to be Xingese. The only other language that might vaguely fit was Cretan, but that wasn't an exact match either. _

"I-I'm sorry. I…" _Edward coughed. _"can't understand you."

_The man stared at Edward with wide eyes. The language the man was speaking was like nothing he'd ever heard before. It reminded the blue eyed man of the German language, but only faintly. But then again, the child had just fell out of the sky and hit the water pretty hard. How he was even alive was beyond him unless the child was a wizard. But if the child was a wizard, why wasn't he in school?_

_The man's light eyes flickered up and down the child, finally fully taking in his appearance. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Never minding the unique golden hair and eyes, the boy was wearing a long red coat, slightly tattered at the edges but besides that, fully intact. Dirty white gloves hid the boy's hands from view, but the strangest thing of all was the strange black trousers, which clung to the skin ridiculously tightly, completely waterlogged, just like leather. The boy's black shirt was also bizarre and completely unknown to the man. And his shoes…he didn't know _what _to think._

"_Are-are you…" The brown hair man muttered, confused and unsure what to do._

_The young blond continued to stare up at him, matching his look of confusion. Sighing, the man bent down at gripped the child under the armpits and tried to lift him up to his feet, surprised by not only the weight the child carried for his frame, but the feeling of frigid metal against his right hand._

"_Come on. Let's get you up." The man said, despite the fact that the little blond couldn't understand him._

_The blond squirmed some and barked angrily in that strange language of his, but did nothing else._

_Making sure the blond was stable with one of his arms; the man grabbed the left palm of the young child in a friendly but awkward handshake._

"_Nicolas Flamel." _

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward groaned. Sometimes, he really, _really_ disliked people. And this was one of those times.

It was bad enough that he decided to go and shop for supplies at Diagon Alley while every student and their mother, literally, was there. What was worse was the fact that he was stuck behind some old hag in _Flourish and Blotts _that was taking forty-five minutes to check out.

Edward glanced at his watch he picked up somewhere.

Make that forty-six minutes.

The sounds of laughter and annoyed grumbles filled his mind as his souls reacted. As suspected, some thought that the predicament he got himself into was simply _hilarious_, laughing and joking around. Others, however, were not amused at all and took to different actions such as sighing loudly and complaining, cursing at the old and senile hag, or even going to the extreme and planning her immediate and painful demise. Though he thought that the last one was a bit too extreme, Edward could sympathize with those souls. The woman was really and truly taking forever.

"And are you _sure _that the cover is supposed to be blue and not black? I'm pretty sure it's supposed to have a black cover, last time I checked." The old woman droned on.

The man working flinched as he noticed the already long line get longer. Though he wanted to ask the lady to please step out of line, the words of his boss echoed in his mind. _Treat every customer fairly and _always _be polite and make a sale, no matter how horrible they may be. _

The poor man gulped. "I'm sorry miss, but this book _does _have a blue cover. It's always had a blue cover. Would you like me to change the color for you?"

"Now what's the point in that? I should be able to get the black cover version because it should be in stock. What sort of bookstore is this?" She said, stern faced.

Edward groaned out loud.

The happy-go-lucky souls inside him laughed even harder. _Having fun, Edward? Having a good time? Isn't standing in line simply the best? It's your favorite activity!_

Edward let out a small hiss. "_First of all, no. Second of all, if this lady doesn't hurry the fuck up and get out of here, I'm going to _stab _her!"_

The entire bookstore fell quiet and it took Edward all of two seconds to realize that what he thought, he actually yelled. The old hag turned around to stare at him with eyes that said, quite clearly, _what a rebellious and violent child. _Meanwhile, the rest of the line was looking at him as if he were crazy, or nodding their heads, agreeing with his statement. The clerk gave him a nervous look, completely confused and worried on what he should do if a fight broke out in the store.

Deciding the situation couldn't get any worse than what it already was, Edward forcefully shoved the senile hag out of the way, though not hard enough to actually hurt her. Doing a mental check on the prices of the volumes he wanted, Edward quickly flashed the book titles to the confounded man behind the counter before slapping the correct amount of coins down and striding out of the bookstore.

_Why do I have such bad luck with this one bookstore? _Edward thought with venom.

The souls merely laughed.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Storming down Diagon Alley, Edward just about had his fill of wizards. After the _second _ bookstore incident, he had gone down to get some basic supplies for transmuting this year. All he wanted was some simple wood and scrap metal to work with, but wizards can never do anything simple. For whatever reason, no supply shop seemed to have either basic woods or basic metals. All of it was either a strange mixture of different sorts of woods and metals or had some sort of magic done to it and Edward wasn't talented enough in magic to actually know what he was doing.

Sighing, he made his way out of Diagon Alley into the Leakey Cauldron. Glancing at the bar, Edward took a few seconds to debate on whether or not he should get some sort of drink. Taking a few seconds longer, Edward ended up sitting on one of the many slightly worn-out bar stools, ready to order a glass of water.

"Ah, what can I get you, sir?" The older looking bartender asked, wiping a slightly dirty glass with a clean-ish, white towel.

"Just a water, please." Edward replied, taking a second to glance at one of his tomes about Magical Theory.

"Ah, not a fan of drinkin', are yeh?" The bartender asked, starting a pleasant conversation.

"You could say that." Edward replied again, flipping through a few pages filled with cramped writing, difficult diagrams, and confusing graphs. "I don't like the taste of alcohol much, but it can be… helpful at times."

The bartender nodded in agreement. "I agree wit ya there. Will that be all, sir?"

Edward sipped the cold, clear liquid, enjoying the unique taste of water on his tongue. "Yeah. Thanks."

The bartender threw him a wrinkled grin. "Yer welcome. If ya need anyting, let me know." And he was off, dealing with some other customers.

Setting his water down, Edward opened his heavy and quite expensive, tome of Magical Theory open. Glancing through the pages, he saw nothing all that new. Same diagrams explaining different magical mysteries, same conspiracies as in all books dealing with the subject, nothing incredibly new. Edward sighed. Another dead end. No matter what he cross-referenced, no matter how much he dug, or theorized, he couldn't seem to find the answer to the one question that had haunted him ever since he arrived on this strange Earth, one question that would eventually-

"Edward! What're you doing here?" A familiar voice asked him from behind.

With his train of thought derailed, Edward turned around only to come face-to-face with Harry Potter. Blinking, Edward remembered that Harry had been staying here. Huh. He had completely forgot.

Smiling, Harry grabbed one of the bar stools and lifted himself onto the seat. Perching there slightly awkwardly, Harry looked at Edward in delight, ready for his question to be answered.

"What sort of question is that? What do you think I'm doing here?" Edward snorted, sassy as ever.

Harry grinned widely, letting out a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess that was pretty stupid, but, well…I didn't know you hang around bars.

"I don't." Edward answered. "I just wanted a glass of water." Picking up his mostly full glass, Edward lightly shook it around for proof, causing some of the liquid to splatter. "I need to drink more-_ Dihydrogen Monoxide _anyways."

"Oh…um…I guess so." Harry commented, unsure about what Edward was talking about.

"Really, Harry? You already forgot what _Dihydrogen Monoxide _was? Looks like there'll be a lot of review this year." Edward shook his head in exasperation. Just because it was summer didn't mean students should just ignore and forget everything that had been taught to them. Though Edward was a bit disappointed and annoyed, he wasn't exactly surprised.

Meanwhile, Harry blushed lightly and ruffled his own hair. Unlike his other subjects he had homework on, Alchemy was based in science. Back when he was staying with the Dursley's, he could've gone to the library to study, but didn't simply because he didn't feel like it. Somehow, he knew that excuse wouldn't sit well with Edward.

"Anyways, Harry. Are you ready for school?" Edward asked, wanting to keep the conversation going to avoid any awkward silences.

"Yeah, I guess. Haven't really gone shopping for any of my school supplies yet, though I'm planning to do it soon." Harry answered.

Edward gave a single nod. "It's best to do that soon, Harry. Don't want to be caught up in the crowds." Edward let his eyes flicker over and glare at the entrance to the busy Alley, "Trust me."

Unsure why Edward was looking so irritated, Harry simply voiced his agreement before changing the subject. "So, what's all the books for?"

Edward glanced down at his expensive tomes. "Just a bit of studying and cross-referencing. I am a scientist, Harry and there are a number of Magical Theories yet to be proven or even thought of, you know."

"Magical Theory?" Harry asked, confused. Though the young teen had heard of the subject and the many books that held it, he really didn't know what 'Magical Theory' was, well, besides what the name told him at least.

Edward nodded. "It's sad to see such an important and interesting study of magic be pushed aside and forgotten, but Magical Theory is probably one of the most important branches of study to be found." Edward stated. "And the only important one, if you ask me." He added in an afterthought, too quiet for Harry to hear.

"Really?" Harry said, slightly interested.

"Really. How exactly to wands work? Where did all these magical creatures come from? How were the first wizards born? Where does 'magic' even come from? There are many unanswered questions, Harry, and that's only on the magic side of things. If you include science, such and physics and chemistry, everything gets even more complicated. Add Alchemy on top of that? Well, that's decades upon decades of sorting things out. It's quite an extensive subject."

Harry stared wide-eyed at Edward. "Sounds like it. Defiantly not something I would want to do."

Edward gave Harry a small smile. "And that's why the entire subject is often forgotten. Not enough wizards and witches want to pursue the subject and even less want to pursue the subject of science." Standing up, Edward stretched out his back. "Well, Harry. It seems it's time for me to go. I do have a bus to catch, after all. I'll see you at Hogwarts." Edward held out his hand for Harry to shake.

It took Harry a few seconds to realize that Edward was holding out his left hand instead of his right. Switching hands real quick, Harry shook Edward's hand. "See you too, _professor_."

Smirking, Edward headed out the door with his large pile of tomes, leaving Harry alone.

It wasn't until much later that night, while Harry was snug in bed, to realize that, though he had said 'decades upon decades upon sorting things out,' Edward couldn't be older than his early twenties.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Ahaha ahah...Wow. It's been a long time, hasn't it, my dear readers. But alas! I am not dead! (though I probably will be considered this is a really short filler chapter...)**

**So...what reason can Toxic pull out of the barrel on why this is so late? Well, a few, actually.**

**One, Band Camp. Nuff' said.**

**Two, I actually do have friends and a social life that doesn't include any unnecessary media. **

**Three, school starts tomorrow. Ew.**

**So, besides all that, nothing much. But I will warn everyone, (American) Football season is here and with morning rehearsals, Monday night rehearsals,**

**UIL music to memorize, and friday night games, in between homework and friends, I'm going to be busy and, during my freetime, probably not up for writing. I'll deliver a better and longer chapter next time, but who knows how much longer that'll take. Since I have some beta-reading work to do that I want to finish first, who knows.**

**Which leads me to my next thing. I've noticed some of you commenting on my grammar, and I admit, there's probably a mega butt-ton of mistakes in this chapter right here. Unfortunately the one thing I have an issue with is my tenses in writing and as for the there/their/they're, the were/where/we're, and the to/too mistakes, I sometimes simply can't get them all. I proof read the best I can, but things do slip. Which is why I'm asking if anyone could possibly, maybe, just perhaps if ya got the time and desire, to Beta-read for me? If anyones interested, feel free to PM me so we can talk.**

**Now, on to the questions!**

**alchemyfreak42: Heh, that's a good idea. I'll try to fit that in. Good idea! I like it.**

** Mariah Sarona: Oh, I got some plans for the latter books, let me tell ya. It's going to be a wild ride and I hope you all enjoy it. Also, I think you mean you don't like the fifth book because that's when Sirius dies, not the fourth. As for saving dead characters...well, you'll have to wait and see!  
**

**Well, that seems to be all for now. Thank you guys so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review if you want, I love those little things as you know. Hopefully my next update wont take too long!**


	24. EXTRA: Cut Content

**Update: As of 1/1/15, hiatus note has been removed**

**Just extra. Cut content from previous drafts. That's about it. Read it like you would any drabble. What you read here has nothing to do with the future of this story. **

~~0~~0~~0~~

Harry felt the touch of the golden egg on his hands. Lifting the slightly warm, shiny egg into the air, Hrry felt not only excitement, but pride. He actually did it. He finished the first task.

He didn't die!

Yet, as he turned around, a huge gasp came from the crowd, filling the young teen with dread. It was a gasp of not excitement of an entertaining task, but of fear, as if something horrible was about to happen. Whipping around with the egg clutched tightly in his arms, the boy watched as a hot stream of flames hurl toward him, ready to disintegrate him.

As fast as the flames were hurtling toward him, it didn't beat the electric red sparks that flowed over the ground as a giant wall of what looked like obsidian rose, covered in the red sparks as well.

In all of his now three years of learning alchemy, Harry had never seen anything like it before. Staring at the ground, Harry simply couldn't understand how the dirt and rock could simply meld and become obsidian. Though he was no expert on geology, or even alchemy for that matter, Harry was fairly certain that obsidian couldn't be transmuted from simple earth.

The dragon's flame smacked into the obsidian, unable to melt its way through. Before Harry had time to react, a hard hand grabbed his arm. Glancing down, Harry saw what looked like metal showing through between a familiar white glove and red coat sleeve.

"Come on, Harry. You got the egg. Let's get out of here."

~~0~~0~~0~~

As Edward's head swam with the frenzied voices of the souls in his head and the oncoming headache, the man slowly brought himself up to his feet, rubbing his eyes.

Staring down, Edward was surprised to see nothing but all-consuming whiteness underneath. Wasn't he in that weird department a few moments ago?

"What the- Oh, God, no. This…_No_." He muttered, griping his bloodstained hair.

Slowly lifting his head up, Edward stared at the bane of his existence, the one place he thought, _hoped_, to never see again.

The Gate.

"Why, hello, Mr. Al-che-mist!"

~~0~~0~~0~~

"I-I've never seen something like this." Minerva stuttered, staring at him in disbelief.

Edward rolled his metal shoulder, hearing the bent and broken metal scratch together, making the most unholy and horrible sounding noises. "Yeah. I would expect so."

~~0~~0~~0~~

"Are you blind, Dumbledore? Moody can't be trusted! There's something off about him, I just know it." Edward shouted, slamming both palms onto the old man's desk.

The man in question glanced up at Edward. "He's a seasoned Auror and I've trusted him for many years. He's safe, Edward."

Edward narrowed his eyes. "It's not _just _me who thinks that, Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore gave him a surprised look. "No? Who else, then?"

Widening his eyes slightly, Edward realized his mistake. "No-no one. No one important." Letting his blond hair cover up the emotion in his eyes, the golden man turned his back on the headmaster. "Nothing. But you'll see, Dumbledore. You'll see."

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!**


	25. You Can't Run, You Can't Hide

**Finally, its the first! I've been waiting to get this published and I'm really excited to be back. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and didn't get a bad haircut 'cause that really sucks. Anyways, I know I usually put long A/N at the end, but this one is important enough to be out in the beginning. Please bear with me and stand by as I get some important news and information out to you guys that have to do with this story. **

**Okay, first thing is first. There is a small issue with the notes I made while planning this out. Now, they are in a notebook and not on a napkin at some shady little convenience store on the corner of scary dr. and don't wanna be here rd., however for whatever dumb reason, they are written in brown sharpie and because of my awful handwriting, is now kinda illegible plus I don't remember what exactly I wrote down either. Now, before you panic and start setting fires, don't worry. The notes I couldn't read had nothing to do with the actual plot, but a couple of details of the Edward in this story as well as how I decided magic and alchemy work together. So, I brainstormed a bit and got some new and better ideas that I personally really like. However, the changes I made might clash with the ideas presented in the first part.**

**So, in short, there might be some contradictions. Whatever you read here on out is part of the story so anything said last part the contradictions here don't count. And before you ask, yes I will go back and tweak the first part (again) but it won't happen anytime soon, which is why I'm making this note. **

**Second thing...second? I've noticed that a lot of y'all really like my use of 'souls' in this story. Because so many people like them so much, I've decided to, for the first time ever, open up a poll on my profile! As of now, the 'souls' are used every once in a while when needed or as added comic effect, however, as of now, that can change. The poll will be open till the end of February (that's two months) giving you guys plenty of time to vote what you guys want. Most likely, these votes won't affect anything until...whatever chapter I happen to be on at the time! But, since I'll be tweaking the first part anyways, I'll go add the chosen option to the first part as well.**

**Also, if you haven't noticed, I got rid of my hiatus/story-on-pause note on the last chapter because it's not needed and I also renamed and edited the chapter a bit so it's just cut scenes. Besides the hiatus note, y'all seemed to like the cut scenes from the original baby drafts of this story so I might write out more original scenes if I get writer's block or if I'm just being slow again to post to tide you guys over. **

**Last thing I need to point out: Updates. It's going to be a new semester in school for me, but since band has gone back to concert season for me and because I'm in a low band 'cause I suck at clnarinet, that's more time to write! Usually, second semester isn't as bad as the first so hopefully I'll be able to write more! **

**Oh, and I also want to thank Kazaru13 for betaing this chapter. You're awesome!**

**Anyways, thank you for holding with me this long for this ridiculous A/N. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

_"Isn't it lovely outside today?" The brown haired man said to the smaller, golden-haired youth that sat before him, motioning for him to repeat._

_"I-Iz-en it lov-vy out zide today?" Edward stuttered, lips and tongue struggling to grasp the new found language._

_It had been three months since the man took Edward into his humble home. Though he had been suspicious and confused for a while, the man had gained his trust by patience and showing the youth that he could be trusted. Nicolas was grateful that he had been the one to find the boy. Dark times haunted the world and Nicholas was lucky to be born a wizard. Who knows what would've happened if superstitious muggles saw the boy fall from the sky. Probably would've burned him at the stake, blaming him for worshiping Satan. Witch hunts and trials scared Nicholas to death and even though he absolutely loathed the muggles whom participated in such evil activities, he couldn't bring himself to hate all muggles. Not all of them tried to murder innocent witches and wizards._

_Nicholas glanced out the window. Seeing the bleeding clouds in the cold sunset, Nicholas decided that he had taught Edward enough for the day._

_"Come." Nicolas spoke to the youth, making the universal hand gesture to go with his word._

_Standing up from his wooden chair, Nicholas stepped through the doorway of his study and into the main living quarters of his home. Glancing around briefly at the slightly worn, wooden walls and the rough rug that clung to the partially rotted floor, Nicholas shuffled through the small room to the even smaller kitchen._

_Moving towards the partially broken wooden cupboard, Nicholas pulled out two stale pieces of bread. Shifting through some other cupboards, he also pulled out two slightly grimy cracked plates. Turning around, Nicolas saw that Edward had already taken his seat at the small table that was crammed into the corner. Putting one of the plates in front of the youth, Nicolas took the only other seat, which sat across from the boy. Crickets and other outside noises started their serenade of the night as the two humans started their pitiful dinner. Staring down at his bread, Edward sighed. He missed Amestris. He missed the food there, the warm air. And he missed Al most of all._

_Nicholas watched as the teen before him shook his head violently before hiding his face behind his odd golden hair. Despite the teen's best struggles, Nicholas knew he was crying. Biting into his bread, Nicholas felt a small twinge of frustration hit him. He could teach the boy all the English he wanted, provide him with shelter, food, and water, but he couldn't get rid of the pain Edward held in his heart._

_Something told Nicholas that that pain wasn't going to go away anytime soon._

~~0~~0~~0~~

"Damn that wizard." Ed growled to himself. "Damn him to the deepest depths of Hell."

Ignoring the souls who reminded him that he didn't believe in Hell, Edward crumpled the tissue in his hand, hating the portkey he had ended up with. Dumble's letter was crunched up and in the waste bin, no longer readable due to the abuse it sustained from the blond.

'It shouldn't be too much of a problem. You enjoy riding trains, correct? Besides, multiple teachers ride the train; you're not going to be alone and some students like you anyways.'

Well, what did that old bastard know? Edward didn't want to hang around with a bunch of snot-nosed kids on a train for hours on end. Sure, he enjoyed riding on trains. It beats cars and planes any day. However, riding with a young bunch of kids? Not something he'd call fun. On top of that, he was seen as a professor. He was sure he would be asked at least a dozen trivial questions across the whole ride, not something he enjoys hearing. All he wanted to do is sit down and continue his work on his old Alchemy - Magic Theory, not be some sort of encyclopedia to kids who don't know how to crack open a book.

Double-checking his trunk, Edward made sure to scribble a reminder onto a sticky note, 'check A&amp;M notes, papers 343-344-brickwall block', and stuck the note onto one of the many stacks of stapled paper neatly organized into his trunk. Closing the large trunk filled with all his documents for his research, Edward rolled it out into the living room. Grabbing his suit case filled with needed items such as his automail repair kit and some clothes in the same hand as the tissue, Edward watched his clock, waiting for the portkey to activate.

As he took one last glance around the messy flat, a gut-wrenching tug took hold of his navel as what was once his boring and cluttered flat started to spin around faster and faster. Unable to do anything, Edward simply stood there, paralyzed and unable to move. Red lighting flashed and flickered around him, as always. Though it no longer terrified him, it sill made Edward feel worried for the souls inside him. His navel started to feel, well, stretched out.

Finally, he felt his feet slam back onto the ground. Collapsing slightly, Edward used his heavy trunk to stop himself from completely falling down flat on his face. Hissing out some curses underneath his breath, Edward straightened out his back and took a glance around.

According to the sign above him, he was now on Platform 9 ¾. A large, new-ish ruby red train sat before him proudly on its tracks, belching out a few puffs of dark smoke. Kids of all ages ran around him, talking, hugging, cheering, shouting, yelling, crying, and much, much more, ready for a new year at Hogwarts. For some; their first, for others, their last, but all were equally excited.

Glancing down, Edward quickly checked himself. No burns, no tears, and no alchemical lightning. Everything was in order.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Edward gripped his trunk tightly in his metal fist and dragged it towards the train, dropping the charred ash that once was the portkey. Dodging in-between kids, some much taller than him, unluckily enough, Edward made it to the congested entrance to the train where kids and parents alike simply stood in and near the entrance inside, not moving due to the importance of their most likely ideal chatter in the wrong place and the wrong time.

Barking out orders to "move out of the way" and "not block entrances", Edward made it into the train with only a few angry glares and complaints hitting his back. Hissing slightly in annoyance and confusion, Edward walked down the aisle, trying to find a quiet enough place to sit down and relax.

"Look, it's Professor Elric!"

"Hi Professor Elric."

"I didn't know Professor Elric rode the train."

"Me neither. He must live far away, then."

"Hello, Professor!"

As the children's greetings and passive questions bombarded him on all sides, Edward felt a strange mix of enjoyment and anger. Anger at Dumbledore that he had to ride with a bunch of children instead of teleporting to the castle, which would make a lot more sense, but enjoyment from all the kids who seemed to genuinely happy and excited for him to return.

Giving proper greetings to his alchemy students and even stopping to exchange a four-sentence pleasantry with Luna Lovegood, Edward finally made it to the back of the train where no one seemed to be yet.

Lightly sighing in relief, Edward passed the last seemingly populated compartment which only held what looked like another, sleeping, teacher who seemed to twitch slightly as he moved pass.

"At least I'm not the only teacher that rides the train." Edward muttered to himself. It wasn't that he was embarrassed about riding the train. He'd gotten over public humiliation a long time ago. However, riding a train with a bunch of young teens ready to blow up from excitement made him wish to be anywhere but the Hogwarts Express.

Nudging an empty compartment roughly seven compartments down from the sleeping teacher, Edward stacked his luggage on the opposite seats, a universal gesture to show that he didn't desire company. Swinging the door close, it didn't take long for Edward to open his luggage and pull out a clipboard and a pencil from the top.

Squirming slightly in his seat to find comfort, Edward twirled his pencil lightly in his fingertips, his mind already focused on his research.

Well, trying to focus, at any rate.

Usually, Edward could block out the constant whispering of the souls within him. He had grown so used to their chattering that he no longer understood what, well, silence sounded like. Which, considering what silence was, was very confusing indeed. Almost an oxymoron when one thought about it.

Though his souls were usually somewhat quiet in his mind, especially when he was trying to focus, today they were talking up a storm. Excited conversation exploded inside his mind. Even though the souls didn't have bodies of their own, they could see and feel Edward's experiences and returning to Hogwarts was a very exciting thing. Though many have reached eternal patience and understanding, there were just as many that were as restless as they were back when Edward first met them hundreds of years ago.

"I love going to school. Its so interesting!"

"Especially a magic school."

"Yeah. I love this century."

"Better than other ones have been."

"Hmm, I wonder if we'll get to meet anyone new?"

"We never meet people."

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

"Why would want to meet other people? They're annoying. Just like those red-headed twins from hell."

"What are you talking about? Those two are so funny!"

Edward groaned as the souls inside him turned from talking about the school to the different students and teachers. Edward had never been a fan of gossiping and that fact had not changed however he could understand the appeal it held for the souls within him.

Furrowing his brow, Edward did his best to further his thoughts from those of the souls. Though never all that useful in the past, it did help his focus some.

Getting some of his focus back, Edward dived into his work with a new fury. His pencil danced across the lined paper, filling the already messy page with crammed in diagrams, nonsensical numbers to the untrained, naked eye as well as more scribbled writing in Amestrian, a language not known to the world. In fact, Edward was so focused and busy with his clipboard and notes from the night before that he failed to notice the compartments steadily filling up as the time ticked by.

It wasn't until two familiar red-heads popped into the compartment and decided to interrupt that Edward really realized where he was again and how much time went by.

"Hey! Look George, is that Professor Elric?" Fred crowed as he slid the compartment door open.

"Why, I do believe so, my dearest brother!" Fred said, exaggeration lacing his voice.

Edward didn't look up. He didn't even notice the two mischievous twins until Fred decided to lean forward, putting his head close to Edward's to stare at his clipboard.

"Hey, Professor." Fred muttered into Edwards face, getting into his line of sight.

"Huh? Whaa-" Edward said, surprised. Realizing how close the twin was, Edward jerked his head back, knocking it hard into the wall behind. Pain filled the entire back of his head. Hissing, Edward rubbed the back of his head, dropping his pencil in the process. He turned to glare up at the still-standing twins, completely irritated. How the twins managed to already annoy him before the train even left the station for Hogwarts was beyond him.

Some people simply had a gift. A really, really, annoying gift.

"What are you two doing here? Don't you have some other stupid friends to go bother?" Edward spat. However, despite his words, Edward felt an odd warmth flood through his heart. Edward gritted his teeth. For whatever reason, Edward didn't want his emotions to play across his face.

"We have plenty of stupid friends to bother." George said pompously.

"But you looked a bit lonely, professor." Fred added, backing up from the golden haired man.

Edward groaned. "I'm not lonely. Now beat it."

Both the twins laughed at him and proceeded to put their much less heavy trunks away and shoved Edward's trunk off the seat and onto the floor. As expected, the trunk stayed tightly locked and made a large thunk as it hit the ground.

Edward stared down at his trunk, eyes widened slightly. He was grateful it didn't land on his feet. He didn't know what he would do if his automail got bent up to the point of no repair and no way to explain his healing.

"Hey! Watch it, you almost broke my feet." Edward scolded.

"Almost, Professor-" George started to state.

"But we didn't." Fred finished.

"Besides, we could have patched you up easily enough." Both twins chimed at the same time, brandishing their wooden wands.

Edward merely groaned. The souls inside him snickered.

Slipping their wands away, both twins sat down in their seats. "So, how was your break, Professor?" George asked.

Edward didn't look up from his work. "It was fine."

"Oh, come on! Something interesting must have happened. Well, besides the whole Harry-breaking-the-law thing." Fred added.

Edward's eyes snapped up to meet the twin's playful ones. "How do you know about that?"

"Why, Harry of course!" Fred replied.

Edward cocked a small eyebrow at the ginger-haired twin but said nothing, simply going back to his work.

Though the twins continued to fire more inane questions at him, Edward always had a gift of being able to slip easily into the world of books and knowledge, ignoring the majority of things around him with great ease.

So, it wasn't a surprise when Edward slipped back into his work, leaving the twins to their own devices.

"Look at 'em, George." Fred whispered.

"Yeah, I know. Completely gone, isn't he?" George replied.

The twins watched as Edward wrote quickly and carefully. The blond was bent over his, well, the twins weren't sure what it was, but it seemed to help the professor write without a table fine. The golden man 's eyes stared down at his work with pure obsession and concentration. Though the twins have seen Percy study hard at home, the focus that Elric had for his his work was like nothing the red heads had seen before. The two twins took a few seconds to watch their professor work on whatever it was that had him so obsessed before diving into a conversation about Quidditch, pranks, and other fun things they could do at Hogwarts.

~~0~~0~~0~~

"Professor? Professor Elric?"

Edward blinked as he glanced up. George stopped shaking his arm as Edward's gaze met the twin.

"Huh?" Was his oh so intelligent reply.

"I know you were kinda in your own world, but do you know why the train has stopped?" George asked, uncertainty poisoning his voice.

"The train has stopped?" Edward replied, looking around a bit. Sure enough, The Hogwarts Express had fallen still, oddly enough. "Are we at Hogwarts already?"

"No, it's way too early." Fred said. Turning, the red head stared out the window into the black night. The darkness had swallowed up any sort of light that might of pierced it, leaving the outside of the train a complete mystery.

Edward and George joined Fred in staring out the window. Silence fell upon the smallish compartment as the three stared out into the oppressive night.

As Edward stared out, he heard the souls shuffle around his mind. All of them were muttering about inane things with one another, however a single, small girl's voice broke through the muttering, filled with uncertainty and fear.

"Mr. Elric, what is going on out there? I-I have a bad feeling." The girl whimpered.

Feeling very conscious and protective of the people inside him, Edward did his best to calm the girl.

It's going to be okay, Ruth. Don't worry. Nothing will happen. Nothing can hurt you. Edward responded, keeping his thoughts as clear and calm as possible.

Ignoring the smart-ass and cruel remarks of himself from some of the more rude souls within him, Edward fell silent, eyes growing wide as he saw ice start to stretch across the window. Winter's fingers grasped the glass as intricate but mindless patterns were made.

"Ice? But it's not winter yet..." George muttered, definite fear sneaking into his tone.

Edward narrowed his eyes. He felt as if he'd seen this before. Shivering, the golden man pulled his red jacket tighter around him, small swirls of cold mist twirling out between his lips.

"Whaa- what the bloody hell was that?" Fred cried out in panic. "I-I saw something move out there, I swear!"

Fred reached out and grabbed his twin brother in fear, quick, shaky, and see-able breaths escaping his lips. George held onto his brother as well, Fred's fear rubbing off on him.

Before Edward could say something or move, the lights started to flicker ominously, casting twisted, dancing shadows onto the wall. Without a single sound or thought, the lights in the entire train died, plunging everyone into deep darkness.

And, as predicted, as soon as the lights spluttered out, all hell broke loose.

Screams of surprise, fear, and even excitement, oddly enough, filled the train. Male and female mixed together in a loud and unneeded crescendo of noise.

The twins, as expected, joined the other students in the train with expelling there lungs with unneeded noise.

"Shut up you two!" Edward barked, leaning over and clasping the twin's mouth's shut. "That is completely uncalled for."

After making sure the twins wouldn't continue their shenanigans, Edward released their mouths. "Will you be quiet now?" Edward asked, cocking an unseen eyebrow.

Though Edward couldn't see it, he knew both twins were nodding.

"Good. Now, let's try and remain calm. I'm sure it's just a technical issue." Edward reassured the boys.

Despite his calming words however, the twins still remained high-strung and Edward once again turned and stared out the window. Edward knew for a fact it wasn't a technical issue and the souls inside him were very aware of his lie, but Edward wanted to do his best to try and avoid panic.

Just as Edward was about to get up and tell some other compartments to stop screaming, everyone fell strangely silent, all at once. All that could be heard was faint but quick breathing that matched the sound of fast-paced heart beats perfectly.

Before he could question what just happened, however, Edward felt it hit him, the reason for the silence.

Edward vaguely heard a nearly inhuman screech of both pain and pure depression before his mind was taken away from him and he fell into comatose.

~~0~~0~~0~~

_Thick columns of smoke stretched high, poisoning the sky with it's toxic fumes that carried the smell of rich, burning flesh quite well. People were all around him, screaming incoherent things about witches and devil-worshipers, terrifying him to no end._

_"Ma! Ma! No!" He cried, trying his best to fight the crowd, to reach his mother who was tied up, burning brightly._

_Slipping in between legs and confusion, the young boy fought up to the front, met by a ghastly and horrifying sight._

_Her skin glowed brightly as flames consumed the poor, frail women. Her head was thrown back, her now dry and cracking lips letting loose screams of agonizing pain and misfortune. The flames only crackled and laughed, consuming the women even more._

_The boy screamed._

_~~0~~0~~0~~_

_She stared down at her father, thickness crawling in her throat._

_"Pa, don't leave us. Please. I love you, don't leave me!" She cried._

_The man stared up at her, he tried to smile at her, tried to reach up and caress her dirty face, but strength eluded him. Choking, he fell back down against the cold church wall, light rapidly fading from his eyes._

_"No! Pa!" She screamed out, anguish taking hold of her. Bending down, she gripped her father tightly by the shoulders, her own wracking with sobs._

_"He's in good hands now, young child" A man told her from behind, lightly placing a calming hand on her back. "He's in God's domain now. No harm will befall him there, now that he is with the Lord."_

_The young girl could only sob ever harder._

_~~0~~0~~0~~_

_He coughed hard, his lungs tying their best to grasp at the dirty, sickness filled air._

_Leaning against a wall, the man watched as people hurried to and fro, used to the sick homeless that plagued the streets just as they were used to the slowly mounting dead that also filled them._

_The man coughed again. He felt feverish and weak. Not only that, but his flesh was looking sicker and sicker as time passed by. Thick growths slowly but surely grew from under his skin._

_The Black Death had taken him._

_~~0~~0~~0~~_

_She stared into the bedroom, thickness choking her. Tears welled into the woman's eyes as memories washed over her, once happy thoughts and feelings turned to pure venom by betrayal and heartbreak._

_Staring into his horrified, yet beautiful face, she couldn't believe that all those memories; all those times had been for naught._

_"Now...it's not what it seems. I-I promise you-" He stuttered, fear gripping his heart._

_Her voice started out quiet at first, but grew angrier and louder as time passed. "Not what it seems? Not what it seems?! Oh, I know exactly what I'm seeing you good-for-nothing...!" Her voice lost its power at the end as grief took her. Clutching her not noticeable baby bump, the woman felt hot, miserable tears streak down her cheeks, the bitter water burning her skin. Getting weak kneed, the woman leaned heavily onto the door frame, her insides churning at the thought of her baby and what the future held._

_The whore, a voluptuous young blonde who set the woman's veins on fire saw her chance. Sprinting out of the bed, the naked woman made a mad dash, slipping past the pregnant woman and out the door, not to be seen again._

_Staring at her husband...no, EX-husband now, the woman turned her eyes to the ground._

_"Get out." She growled softly under her breath._

_"Ex-excuse me? The man said, surprised._

_"I said, get. Out." The woman repeated, punctuating her words in an icy tone._

_"Now see here" Her husband started. "This is my home and your just a woman-"_

_"I said GET OUT!" She screeched at him, balling up her fists. Rage-filled tears leaked even faster out of her eyes, hatred and pure venom filling her entire being._

_The man, fearing for his life, jumped out of the bed, just as naked as the whore before him and ran out of his own house, unsure what to do._

_The woman collapsed heavily onto the ground, sobs wracking her body as she wrapped her arms protectively around her middle, unsure and scared of where the future would take her._

_~~0~~0~~0~~_

_Edward stared down at the bodies before him, horrified._

_Stepping into the camp, Edward kept to the wall, looking for survivors of the Nazi's cruelty. He'd heard of the things that happened in camps like these, whispers of evil and pure hatred that flew on the wind, barely making a noise._

_Watching carefully for an left-over Nazis that hadn't heard the news of Germany's defeat, Edward made his way through the Death Camp, sticking close to the walls._

_Crunch, crunch, crunch._

_Edward whipped around. He knew he heard footsteps, but couldn't tell if it was friend or foe. Glancing around, Edward dived forward into a squat concrete building, making sure the heavy metal door closed behind him as quietly as possible._

_Turning around, Edward stared at what lay before him, sickness choking him._

_He'd heard of some of the horrors that lay inside the walls of Nazi Death Camps but seeing was much different than faint whispers._

_Edward could easily imagine people being lined up inside, told to strip and take a shower, not knowing what lay before them. He could imagine the innocents lined up, ready and unsuspecting. He could see, in his mind's eye, the slow turn of the faucet, hell, he could almost hear it. And those poor, poor people, expecting dirty water, got something so much worse. Suffocating gas that plugs the lungs, makes the eyes water. He could see innocents grasping their throats uselessly, grasping for life and air that was no longer there. See some of the stronger people run to the door and try to yank it open, only for nothing._

_And Edward could almost hear the laughter of the Nazis._

_And it made him sick._

_Regret and misery filled him. Here he was, a doctor and immortal and yet he couldn't save them. He couldn't save these innocents, only the people that had incurred this inhuman pain..._

_Edward walked the trenches, the smell of death rising up and sickening him. How could this happen?_

_How could the entire world fall into war?..._

_Red lightning was everywhere, the screams of his souls echoed in his ears._

_Realization came over him. He was killing his souls._

_There he was, in his graveyard before it became his graveyard, dying over and over again in a mad lust to be gone, to prove to himself that he was still human. That he wasn't a creature like Envy..._

_Envy stared down at him, laughing. "Look at you, little worm! I'm going to have fun gutting you..."_

_The gate was before him, dragging him towards its large maw. Black hands of the damned reached out to grab him, hug him, strangle and destroy him._

_"No! No! Al!"_

_"Brother!"_

_Al stared at him, his beautiful, beautiful eyes staring at him for the first time in years._

_"I promise I'll be back, Al! I won't leave you! We'll be together again soon! I promise!"_

_Sparkling tears leaked out his brother's eyes. "I know, brother. You always keep your promises."_

_Edward screamed as the Gate closed, spiriting him away from Amestris and all he had known._

_Truth merely looked on..._

_Edward stared down at his small, boyish hands._

_"Ready, Al?" Edward asked._

_"Yup." Al replied, smiling slightly._

_Glancing upwards, Edward did a quick check on everything before him. All the ingredients in the correct amount were piled in the middle of the grand transmutation circle he and his brother created._

_Exchanging excited looks, the two boys greedily placed their hands upon the circumference of the circle. Almost immediately, the circle started to glow a bright blue. The ingredients lifted into the air and started molding to create something, their mother, right before their eyes..._

_Until everything went wrong. The blue light quickly degraded into a terrifying blood red. The brothers watched in horror as a giant, almost mystical eye opened up, staring at nothing. Black hands flew out from the center, grabbing the young boys._

_"Ed! Edward!" Al screeched as he was dragged toward the eye, his body visibly degrading._

_"Al! Al no! Don't!" Edward cried._

_Edward's dire pleas fell into horrified screaming as pure pain flashed through both his arm and leg._

_Both limbs were gone._

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Thank you guys for waiting for me! Y'all are all awesome people! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Drop a review if ya want too! Reviews are better than Italian cream cake!**


	26. I'm Alright

**Disclaimer: Yes, because I'm totally not an american with too much time on my hands. And I can magically be both British-born and Japanese-born at the same time...**

**Big thanks to Kazaru13 for beta-ing again! **

~~0~~0~~0~~

_"Wow. Um, well, I have to say Edward, I'm quite speechless. I mean, another world? Impossible!"_

_Edward stared at his makeshift mentor with hard eyes. "Not impossible. Just because you've never heard of it happening doesn't mean it can't."_

_Nicholas nodded slightly. "That's all well and true, however what you just told me...I mean, how? Why?"_

_Edward deflated ever so slightly, tenseness entering his shoulders as he did so. "You don't believe me." He stated._

_Nicholas quickly shook his head, the man's brown hair flopping slightly side to side with the motion. "Now, now. I said it was impossible, not that I didn't believe you."_

_Edward perked up immediately; a slightly devilish look entering his eyes. "Oh, really?"_

_Nicholas snorted. "Please. I'm a wizard and even I find teens falling from the sky a bit too strange."_

_Edward sighed silently, relief washing over him. Though he trusted Nicholas to take care of him to a degree; the man did rescue him and patch him up, not even questioning his metal limbs, he wasn't so sure that the man would take news of a different, opposite world so lightly. Edward was grateful that Nicholas believed him; he didn't know what he would do if he didn't._

_"So, Edward." Nicholas started after a lengthy, but comfortable pause, "what are your plans now. The way you talk about your home - Amestris, wasn't it – it sounds as if you expect to, well, go back somehow."_

_"Well, I, um, was going to ask you about that." Edward replied, slight awkwardness inching into his voice. "I thought, since you were a wizard, you could help me figure out how to get back."_

_Nicholas blinked. He couldn't say he was surprised by Edward's question. "Of course I'll help you Edward. We are friends after all. But, you said you had magic of your own. Why can't you just use that?"_

_Edward shook his head violently. "It's not magic; it's alchemy. You need an equivalent exchange to pass through the Gate and, well, that option isn't possible anymore. Magic has no boundaries, no real laws. If it can bypass every other rule of alchemy, why not travel through the Gate as well?"_

_Nicholas tipped his head to the side. "I've got to say, this...alchemy of yours sounds completely and utterly amazing."_

_"It is." Edward replied._

_A slightly mischievous look danced it's way into Nicholas eyes. "Equivalent exchange, huh?" He murmured to himself, to quiet for Edward to hear. Louder, he proclaimed, "Edward, how 'bout we make a deal, following this 'equivalent exchange' of yours. I'll get you back to the world and teach you a thing or two about magic, if you teach me all you know about this alchemy of yours." Smiling broadly, Nicholas held out his hand to shake._

_Edward gave Nicholas a wild smirk. Not even thinking about the deal, Edward grasped his friend's hand in his cool, automail hand._

_"You've got a deal."_

~~0~~0~~0~~

He groaned thickly. Hearing the far away sounds of many voices grumbling in near-conscious, he twisted around, trying to burrow deeper into his covers. His entire mind throbbed, slight pain pulsating within his mind. Muttering replaced the grumbling inside his brain, causing the pulsations of pain to speed up and get stronger. Frowning slightly, he rolled over again, causing the what-ever-it-was-he-was-sleeping-on to creak rudely. Despite his struggles, he couldn't seem to get comfortable at all. Though his mind was in a sleep-filled fog populated only by slowly quieting voices and a small headache, his body was fit and filled with energy that certainly didn't want to let him lie down any longer. Unable to relax and find comfort, he twisted around again, this time a large and obnoxious _bang_ sounding out when his metal arm crashed against the most likely metal frame of the bed. Strange vibrations echoed up the prosthetic limb, filling his port and pouring out into his skin, causing horrible shivers to continue along his skin. Hissing in annoyance, he mindlessly lifted his flesh arm to rub against his automail, sharp and cold metal surprising his warm and real fingers.

Edward jerked out of bed as he realized that not only was his automail arm not covered, but he couldn't remember going to sleep last night. In fact, he couldn't remember much at all. The faint memories of sharp misery and horrible agony echoed through his mind, chilling him to the bone. Feeling exhausted all of a sudden, Edward let himself fall back into the Hospital Wing bed. Glancing around, Edward let relief wash over him as he realized thick, white dividers hung all around his bed, not letting anyone see him and unfortunately, not letting him see out.

Sighing, Edward sat back up, letting the present and current situation he was in wash away the horrid memories from the past. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Edward screwed his eyes shut tight, trying his best not to let worry and panic set in.

Once upon a time ago, he could freely strut around with his automail showing and not have to worry about a thing. However, it's been _years_ since he could do that. Having lived so long in fear of someone finding out about his limbs had made him paranoid.

Deciding to take a look at himself, Edward noted that he was in his black tank-top and boxers, his tight leather pants and red traveling cloak hanging on the dividers. He didn't have any noticeable wounds or bandages and though that didn't surprise him, Edward felt more worry fill him. He could vaguely remember falling and Edward hoped that he didn't get banged up. He already had to explain the missing limbs and such, he _really_ didn't want to explain why he had superhuman healing abilities as well.

Stretching his arms out, Edward gave his automail arm a once over. Even he had to admit that he was surprised it stayed in this good of shape for so many years. Though small dings and bumps covered some of the not-as-important areas and a few scorch marks were left over from...who knows when or where, Edward had tried his very best over these years to keep it in good condition, not letting it rust and being very careful with his arm, which of course lead to the retirement of using said limb as his favorite weapon. It's sad that it had come to that, but its not like anyone could repair major damage to the limb...

Using said automail, Edward lifted the thin blankets up. Like the rest of his body, there was no damage to his lower torso and legs. This time, Edward checked his automail leg. Like his arm, his leg shared more than a few dings, scratches, and burn marks that he was unable to get out. However, despite all the appearance flaws, the leg worked perfectly, just as it had since he got it.

Whipping around, Edward carefully pulled his pants and jacket off the dividers. Slipping both legs into the proper holes, he shimmied around slightly to get the tight pants up and situated at his waist. Once the pants were in the proper place, he grabbed his belt that had been hidden under his jacket. Threading it through the hoops, Edward clicked the belt into place and slipped his jacket on. Finding his gloves on the table beside him, Edward pulled them both on, successfully hiding his automail hand from sight. Finally, after a bit of a look around, Edward located his shoes hiding partially under the bed, socks neatly tucked into both. Pulling both socks and shoes on, Edward double-knotted his laces as always.

Running his fingers through his admittedly greasy hair, Edward pushed the dividers back and stepped fully through into the rest of the Hospital Wing.

No one was currently in the room.

Which really wasn't a surprise to Edward. It was, after all, only two days since school started. Popping his neck and back, Edward started for the exit, hoping against all hope that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't just pop out and-

"And where do you think you are going, Edward?"

Edward flinched when he heard her sharp and dangerous tone. Slowly turning around, Edward tried his best to look as calm and collected as he could.

"Well, I'm, uh, leaving." He replied, making his statement sound much more like a question. Edward gave his head a mental shake. He had to admit he was a bit nervous about the stern medical witch finding his automail but even that wasn't a good enough excuse for him sounding like some idiot.

"Oh no your not. You were attacked by dementors and have been unconscious for two and a half days-"

"What!?" Edward interrupted.

Pomfrey's eyes flashed at his interruption, but continued on, none-the-less. "-you are going to sit down and eat this chocolate and rest."

"But I've been resting long enough and- wait. Did you just say 'eat chocolate?'" Edward spluttered.

"Of course I did. Chocolate is the only way to recover from dementor attacks, especially one as...violent as this one." Striding forward, Pomfrey hesitated slightly as she grabbed Edward's left arm and dragged him back to his bed.

_She knows._ Edward thought.

Forcing the golden man to sit down. She left briefly to go and grab some chocolate.

Before Edward could even think of jumping up and running away, the nurse had come back with the biggest hunk of chocolate that Edward has ever seen. She dropped it into his lap.

"Eat." She commanded.

Unable to reply, Edward simply tore off a piece of the sweet candy and popped it into his mouth.

Warmth spread through him, filling him with delight. The chocolate was thick and milky, melting perfectly in his mouth. Though he didn't need to eat, Edward had to admit that he'd missed the taste of chocolate. He hadn't thought of the milky treat in years. Finishing the chuck he had began to eat quickly, Edward tore off another piece from the slab and greedily stuffed it into his mouth.

"You seem alright..." Pomfrey muttered under her breath, almost to quiet for Edward to hear. Almost.

Finishing off his second piece, Edward awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Slight tension had filled the room between the two adults and Edward had no clue on how to break it.

"Does Dumbledore know?" Pomfrey asked seemingly out of nowhere.

Looking up at the nurse, Edward noted that she was doing her best (and failing) at not staring at his missing limbs.

"Yeah." Edward replied in a near whisper. "He knows."

Pomfrey merely nodded in response.

"Don't – don't tell anyone." Edward said after a lengthy pause, slight worry etched into his tone.

At that, Pomfrey snorted. "Of course not, Edward. I may not exactly know what is wrong with your limbs or even who did this sort of professional job, but I take my work as a healer very seriously."

Edward let a ghost of a smile grace his lips. "Thank you, Poppy."

Pomfrey sighed. "If you ever have any...trouble, don't hesitate to come here. I may not understand what sort of strange muggle doohickey this is, but I can help if there's any pain or such."

"That won't be necessary..." Edward tried to deflect, lamely.

"Nonsense." Pomfrey snorted. "Now you finish up that chocolate and return to your classroom, Edward. You have a lot of catching up to do." Turning around, she swiftly walked away.

Groaning and muttering in annoyance, Edward tore of another piece of chocolate.

"Oh, and Poppy?"

The Hogwarts nurse paused slightly, already in the doorway of her office.

"Thank you."

~~0~~0~~0~~

Hermione glanced behind her. Though she wasn't breaking curfew or anything of that sort, she still didn't want anyone following her. Though she thought that this secrecy was just a tad bit more than being completely and utterly foolish, she knew it was the best for not only her standing as a Gryffindor as well as keep others off her back about the company she keeps, but also for the best for him as well. Unlike her, Draco had much more to worry about than a couple of angry classmates.

Turning down another hallway, Hermione kept her wits about her as she passed classroom after classroom. Finally, at the end of the hall, she found what she was looking for.

Opening the door to the long-abandoned classroom, Hermione carefully padded inside, making sure to shut the door behind her as quietly as possible.

Turning back around, Hermione squinted in the low light. The classroom had no windows, unfortunately.

_"Lumos."_ She whispered. A small light appeared at the tip of her wand, illuminating the room some.

Making her way to the back of the class, she maneuvered around junk that was piled in the way. Desks, chairs, old – what looked like d to be Muggle Studies – books littered the way along with several musical instruments for who knows what reason.

"Draco?" Hermione whispered into the dusty room. "Are you here?" Making her way farther into the classroom, it struck Hermione how suspicious she must look right now, sneaking about, going into abandoned classrooms, whispering into the dark. The young Gryffindor couldn't help but giggle a bit. It reminded her of some of the movies she sometimes watched with her parents.

Smiling to herself, Hermione sidestepped what looked like a trombone sitting nicely in a chair. Shaking her head at the strangeness of Hogwarts, she didn't notice the small yellow object that she was about to step on.

An obnoxiously loud _squeal_ filled the room, causing Hermione to jump back, falling straight into a desk behind her, knocking over a pile of stacked books.

"Oof!" She cried out.

Rubbing her bottom in pain, Hermione used her wand to see what exactly she stepped on.

"Why is there a rubber duck in here?" Hermione asked out loud in both confusion and annoyance. Indeed, there was a small rubber duck on the ground, smiling up at her.

Kicking the small muggle bath toy away, Hermione finally made it through to the back of the room. Lifting herself onto the teacher's desk, she patiently waited for Draco to come.

It wasn't long before another obnoxious _squeal _punctured the stillness of the room, along with a few choice curses. Hermione couldn't hold back a laugh as Draco Malfoy stomped into her vision, wand lit in one hand and rubber duck angrily held in the other.

"What on _earth_ is this?" He asked, shoving the duck at her. Unable to stand the hilarity of the entire situation, Hermione let herself fall backwards, the force of her laughter causing her to shudder.

"It's a toy young muggle children play with while their bathing." She answered between laughs.

"What? But, wait, what?" Draco spluttered in confusion, not understanding why anyone would want such a rude toy and why Hermione was finding it so funny in the first place.

Hermione sat back up. "Never mind, just never mind."

Glad for the situation to be diffusing some, Draco threw the toy back into the classroom, hearing a small _squeak_ as it connected with something.

Sitting next to Hermione on the desk, Draco sighed, running his hand through his platinum blond hair. "How are you doing, Hermione?"

Letting her laughter die a bit in her throat, she answered. "Fine, I guess. Well, worried actually."

"Worried?"

"Yeah. About E – I mean, Professor Elric. We were supposed to have Alchemy on the second day back, but no luck." Hermione answered.

"He's still in the Hospital Wing?" Draco replied in surprise. Though Elric was...eccentric to say the least, as well as being _quite_ unorthodox in his teaching, Draco still worried about the weird man. Besides Snape, who was a family friend anyways, Draco could honestly say that Elric was his favorite teacher. Even though he gave out weird punishments that ended up him being friends with not only a Gryffindor, but a muggleborn as well.

"Yeah. And Pomfrey won't let anyone visit. She won't even let anyone _look_ at him." Hermione said, her worry clear as day.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Draco reassured her. He lifted his hand slightly to pat her on the shoulder , but thought better of it, returning it to his lap awkwardly.

If Hermione noticed the gesture, she didn't say anything about it. "For him to pass out for _this_ long though...I mean Harry was out of it for a while, but not this long. Professor Elric must have a lot of bad memories."

Draco said nothing about her bringing Potter up. Despite his...friendship with Hermione, he still heavily disliked her two friends. Knowing better than to say anything about her two best friends, he stayed on the subject of Elric's hospitalization.

"I guess. He doesn't seem to be the most happiest of blokes, does he?" Draco mused.

Hermione's eyes flickered to him. "He seems okay in class." She said "Though...he does sometimes seem kinda out of it."

Draco merely nodded in agreement.

Hermione blinked as she recalled the incident from last year. How he was completely drunk and how he turned water into wine...

Eyes flashing, Hermione hopped off the desk and maneuvered her way back to the entrance of the class.

"Hermione?" Draco asked in confusion.

She hadn't thought about it before. She didn't know much about alchemy at the time, honestly and afterwords, well the incident had slipped out of her mind.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked again. "Hermione?"

But turning water into wine wasn't an equivalent exchange. No matter how you looked at it and since Edward was still in the Hospital Wing, she couldn't ask. That left one option: The library.

"Stupid girl, answer me." Draco snorted in annoyance as he dodged the random junk to get to her.

"I'm going to the library." She finally answered, reaching the entrance.

"The library? Why?"

Hermione paused. It's not like she liked lying or anything of the sort, but Draco had enough to worry about without adding the mystery of Professor Edward Elric on top of that. Besides, how was she going to explain anyways? And it's not like they could research together...

"Just because school just started doesn't mean I don't have homework to do and tests to study for. I'll see you later, Draco. Stay out of trouble." Hermione said before disappearing out the door and down the hallway.

"Hermione!" Draco snapped, following her out into the hallway.

But the Gryffindor girl was already gone.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Yeah...this was supposed to be out like a week ago but I lost my flash drive. It's completely gone, no clue where it went and it had this chapter plus the entirety of the rest of the last story on it too. Luckily I got two more flash drives and I got some mad copy 'n paste skills so everything should be okay.**

**Funny story about the flash drive, however. Before losing the actual flash drive, I lost the lid and today I found the lid. In the dishwasher. Have to say, stranger than me finding the TV remote in the fridge. At least I can see how that can happen. Flash drive lid in the dishwasher? Not so much.**

**Anyways, besides that, everything seems find. School is...school. Some days over whelming, others not. I'll write when I can (and feel like it) as always. **

**Question time!**

**FwooshEye- I've heard it both ways. It's probably a dialect thing. I personally use "fell into" but I've also heard just "fell." For me using the former, I simply like it written that way better. **

**Anyways, thank you guys so much for reading this (slightly filler) chapter. Hugs, kisses, and internet cookies to you all and please review as always!**


	27. Consequences

**Disclaimer: I don't own, I don't own, and guess what? I don't own! **

~~0~~0~~0~~

"_So...alchemy and magic together. It's great and all, but where exactly are we going to do this. I don't think the locals would like that very much. I don't know about you, but burning at the stake isn't exactly my idea of a fun time." Edward complained._

_Nicholas waved his hand. "Nonsense! We'll be fine. I'm designing us a special place for our experiments. We're good."_

"_A special place? Where?" Edward asked, leaning onto his hand. Nicholas continued to scribble on a piece of parchment with his quill across from him. _

"_Why, right here of course! After I get permission, I'll simply use an enlargement charm on this house to fit in a laboratory for us to use, along with a few more muggle repellent charms and silencing charms. We'll be fine." Nicholas replied. _

"_Permission?"_

"_Oh yes, I forget your not quite used to all this." Nicholas waved his hands around him, quill still gripped tightly in his fist. "Us wizards do have a proper government. Not like all these muggles who are content spending their lives wasting away."_

_Edward gave a snort. "Like they have a choice."_

"_I – well, yes you are right. Sorry for being so insensitive." Nicholas apologized._

_Edward shrugged in response. "Apology accepted, I suppose."_

_Turning back to his plans, Nicholas continued scratching out how he wanted his and Edward's laboratory. Gesturing Edward to lean over more to see what he was doing, the two worked on the plans needed to pass through and get the proper permission._

"_Is there any sort of alchemy in this world at all?" Edward questioned as Nicholas started a nicely written letter describing in detail he (or, rather the two of them) wanted to do. _

"_Well, yes there is, somewhat. Though it's mainly a muggle's dream by now. Alchemy we have is a branch of potion brewing and isn't nearly as popular as it was before. What you describe alchemy as is much more exciting than this world's alchemy." Nicholas explained. _

_Edward smirked. "Glad you're excited now. I promise you won't be in the future. Alchemy isn't just about doodling circles and such. It is much, much harder than that."_

_Nicholas meet Edward's hard gave with his own determined one. "Be that as it may, I'm plenty confident in myself. I can take anything you throw at me..._sir._" Nicholas challenged._

_Edward gave Nicholas a look between another smirk and a frown._

"_We'll see, Nicholas, we'll see. And don't call me sir!"_

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward groaned. Stupid dementors. Stupid Dumbledore. Stupid Ministry of Magic. Stupid Sirius Black, whoever the hell he was. It was because of him that he was now behind in three of his classes.

_Sirius Black_... The man that has the wizarding world up in a frenzy. A guy breaks out of an 'unbreakable prison' and the entire world goes to hell in a hand basket.

Well, it's the ministry's fault when you really think about it. Labeling a prison as unbreakable just begs to be broken out of. Looks like no one has learned from, or probably even know of, the _Titanic._

Letting out another long-winded sigh born of pure annoyance, Edward shuffled some papers around on his desk, trying to get the mess already under control. How he could only be here for four days, be unconscious for three of them, and already have a messy desk was beyond him. Giving a small glance around, Edward gave his classroom a once-over. Seemed like everything was in place and clean. Good.

Rolling his tense shoulders, Edward sat down in his chair, forcing himself to relax. He didn't know why, but he felt unusually tense. He hoped the feeling would pass soon.

Edward watched as a few of his third year class started trickling in. He recognized the mixture of students easily. Even though his class was the last one in the day, a number of the children were still talking excitedly to one another, from discussions about things that happened throughout the day to wonders about what he had in store for them; the students' wonders filled up the normally quiet classroom with chatter.

As Edward watched, he noted a number of students giving him worried glances, as if saying _"are you alright? Are you okay?" _Edward gave himself a mental shake of the head. He better crush these worries the students have for him fast; they had much better things to worry about then his never-changing health, such as alchemy.

As the last, (and arguably) his favorite students slipped into his room, Edward watched as Harry, Hermione, and Neville sat in the front row as always. Giving a mental note that Malfoy was absent, Edward opened his mouth to speak.

"Are you okay, professor? I heard you passed out on the train."

"You're not sick, are you? Is it okay for you to be teaching us?"

"I heard you just got out of the hospital wing."

"Is it possible to be allergic to dementors?"

Edward blinked in confusion as his students' questions about his health bombarded him. Despite the annoyance clawing at his stomach, Edward's heart swelled slightly in an almost unknown emotion at having not just someone, but multiple people genuinely and truly worry about him and his health.

It was a ghostly feeling. He couldn't even fathom the emotion, let alone put it into words.

Edward waved his student's off. "I'm completely fine. No damage done. Now then, pass up your homework."

Only Hermione, Neville, and the Ravenclaws reached out to pass their work to the front. The rest of the students either glanced at one another nervously or stared at their desktops, the same look of worry and nervousness overtaking them. Taking the papers from the kids sitting at the very front, Edward said nothing, only letting his eyes glance across the class. The students could practically feel the heat of his gaze.

"Is this it? No one else did the homework I assigned?" Edward asked, completely rhetorical.

The students shifted in their seats. It was true that Edward was an eccentric teacher to say the least, and it was also true that he was gruff and hard. Like Snape and McGonagall, he easily controlled his class, keeping every student in line as well as getting every student to successfully turn their homework every time.

Edward collected the papers, his flamboyant blood-red coat flaring out like flames. Setting the small stack on his desk, Edward stood before his class.

"Alchemy-" He started, "is unlike any other class you will _ever _take. As far as I'm aware, Hogwarts is the only school that teaches true and proper alchemy; not the bastardized version most _wizards-_" He spat the name almost like a curse, "believe in. Not only that, but not everyone is gifted in alchemy. Most of you here possess a gift with it, though some more than others." With this, Edward glanced particularly at Neville, who was watching him with rapt attention. "And, lastly, Alchemy is _not _magic. I drilled all of this into your heads last year. Alchemy is not magic. It is a science. If you want to learn Alchemy, you can't half-ass it. You can't just decide to take a break. You must be dedicated to the practice and want to learn."

Edward seemed to drift off near the end of his speech, recalling old memories of long before when he and his brother spent days pouring over his father's books to learn more. Mentally shaking his head, Edward continued. "I don't care if you intend to continue practicing Alchemy after graduating Hogwarts or not but as long as you're here, you must be dedicated to the subject with all your heart and mind. You can't fake it. When I give you homework, you will do it. I don't care if it's during your break or not. You will do it or you will be kicked out of this class and won't be allowed to take it again. Do I make myself clear?"

A few nervous agreements wiggled out from the student's silent lips, the soft words barely heard in the quiet of the classroom.

Edward cocked an eyebrow, his eyes still burning. "Well? That wasn't a rhetorical question."

"Yes, Professor Elric." His students replied, clearer this time.

Irritated with the entire situation, Edward started drills, calling out random students to repeat information from last year that they should have memorized.

"How many elements are there in the Periodic Table."

"Um, uh, two-hundred, sir?" A feeble Hufflepuff answered.

"Wrong." Edward snapped back, He turned to another student. "List off all the Alkaline Earth Metals." He instructed a Gryffindor girl.

"Let's see...Calcium, Magnesium, and, uh, I- I don't remember, sir." She muttered, sinking deeper into her seat, shame clearly evident on her face.

Edward simply shook his head, disappointed. He turned to another student, a Slytherin girl. "What makes Noble Gases different from the other elements?" He asked.

"They, I- um, I know I know this." She seemed to be thinking hard, her brows furrowed angrily as she struggled to recall the memory. "They- they don't, uh, bond with other elements?"

Edward raised an eyebrow at her. That was probably the most mangled description he's ever heard. However, even though her definition was odd, he still understood what she was saying. "Correct, though that was one of the worse ways I've ever heard it described." He said.

The girl visibly relaxed in her chair, looking quite proud that she was the first to get a question right.

"What's the difference between an element and a compound?" He asked another Hufflepuff boy.

"A-a compound is multiple elements together?" He stated it as a question, nerves evident in his tone.

Edward gave the boy a soft, pleased nod. Not everything he taught them last year was lost. "Okay, enough about Chemistry. "Mr. Potter, draw a perfect circle on the chalk-board."

Gulping, Harry proceeded to stand up from his desk, shame etched into him. Though it was true that the Dursley's had made sure to lock up everything related to magic, making him unable to complete any of his homework at all, Alchemy was based on Chemistry. He could have easily kept the Periodic Table memorized and his shapes perfect. Approaching the board, he grabbed a piece of chalk, the dust already rubbing off into his slightly sweaty hands. He hadn't practiced since last year. Could he draw perfectly? Placing the tip of the chalk against the board, he took control of his shivering hand and proceeded to draw...an oval.

Wincing, Harry tried a few more times, the circular shape getting better and better by a bit each time. However, though the lines were curvy as expected to be, there was a slight shakiness to it along with the shape being more of a near-circle than an actual circle. Frowning, Harry placed the chalk down, completely embarrassed. Turning around, Harry looked up at Edward.

Edward shook his head slightly, his eyes mirroring disappointment. Harry's eyes fell downcast as he padded back to his seat and sat back down. Edward's disappointment in him was more painful than his anger.

"Mr. Longbottom, can you give us a perfect circle?" Edward asked.

Giving Harry a slightly apologetic look, Neville stood up and drew a perfect circle on the board.

Neville couldn't help but beam as Edward gave him a nod of approval. Still smiling with pride not usually seen on the young boy's face, Neville sat back down.

"As you can see," Edward began, "Mr. Longbottom's circle is not only perfect all the way around, but the thickness of the lines as well. There are no bumps around the circumference. The lines are completely smooth. There was no hesitation and no issues at all. It can be used in a transmutation." To prove his point, Edward added some more lines, making a basic transmutation circle. Placing his hands on it, the class watched as a small block of chalk-board grew out of the wall, pointing clear outwards. Letting the class look at the transmutation a moment longer, Edward let the block melt back into the wall, as if it was never there in the first place.

"I have a feeling that the majority of you wouldn't be able to draw a perfect circle; or any shape for that matter. Am I right?"

The class simply stared down at their desks, dejected and ashamed.

"I was going to start off the year with going over basic transmutation circles, then moving on to more complex circles as well as using different materials. Since only a select few remember the basics, it seems we have to review again."

The class winced at Edward's condescending tone, along with the fact that they were dashed with the chance of actually having fun in Alchemy.

Pulling out a stack of The Periodic Table of Elements, Edward went back and passed the papers out to everyone again, minus the students who actually did their homework. "I want this memorized. Again. You have a week. If you can't get it memorized by then, then you will be kicked out. No second chances."

No one said a word.

After the papers were passed out, Edward sunk back into his chair. "I also want you to practice your drawings. You have two weeks to draw a perfect, basic transmutation circle. If you can't do this, you will be kicked out of class. Next time you come back, I'll have a review packet for you to do. I want it completed in a month. Again, if you don't do it, you will be kicked out. Do I make myself clear?"

The class voiced their agreement.

"Good. Now either start memorizing or start practicing your shapes." He ordered.

And the class got right to it.

Leaning back into his desk, Edward watched as his students dived right into their work, not wanting to get kicked out. Even the students who did their homework did what he told.

Glancing at the empty seat in the front row, Edward remembered that Malfoy was missing in his class. "Does anyone know where Mr. Malfoy is?" He asked, grabbing the small stack of papers to start grading them.

"He's in the Hospital Wing." Slytherin answered.

Edward sat up, slightly worried. "In the Hospital Wing? Why?"

"He got attacked by a hippogriff in Care of Magical Creatures." The same student supplied.

"What? Wait, how...?" Edward said, completely confused. At the same time, a Gryffindor angrily replied, "No he didn't! He provoked the creature. He got what was coming to him."

"No he didn't! You shut your mouth, mud-" The Slytherin glanced at Edward. "Um, I mean you stupid-face!" He corrected himself.

Edward glanced at the Slytherin, cocking an eyebrow before shaking his head. "No fighting during class." turning away from the two students, Edward directed his question towards Hermione. "Just tell me what's going on."

Hermione cleared her throat. "Well, you see sir, in Care of Magical Creatures, Malfoy provoked a hippogriff and it scratched his arm."

"Scratched his arm? That's it? Just put a band-aid on it." Edward replied dryly. Why were wizards so oversensitive? And what was a hippogriff? Probably just another inane magical creature.

"It was a bad scratch." The Slytherin from before added.

Edward shook his head. "Whatever. He's the one that's going to have to catch up. Not my problem." With that being said, Edward returned to his desk to continue grading papers. The class fell into silence after that.

The seconds ticked by. After grading the small amount of papers, he turned back to his notes, ignoring the slight headache. Despite the soul's quietness inside his mind, Edward felt as if some rowdy person was hammering against his skull over and over again. It was really starting to fray on his already thin patience he seemed to be upholding all day. Not only that, but his students, bored with busy work and noticing that Edward was (almost) completely absorbed in his work, started to whisper among themselves, knowing that class would be over soon, thankfully.

"Unless you have something important to say or are about to die in a horrible way, would all of you please shut up?" Edward scoffed as his headache worsened. Why did his head hurt so much?"

"Sorry, sir." Neville apologized. "We were just talking about Professor Lupin's class."

"Who?"

"The new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher."

"And what does that have to do with Alchemy?' Edward replied, his voice gruff.

"Uh, nothing, I suppose."

"That's what I thought. Now get back to work."

The class fell silent once again.

Edward rubbed his head. Damn this headache. Even the slight rustling of papers and quills scratching on parchment were hurting him.

_I swear, if it's someone's idea of a joke... _He thought to himself, directing his threat to the more mischievous souls.

As he expected, a number of denials headed his way. Though he knew none of the souls within him would hurt him purposely, he had to ask. He didn't get headaches. It wasn't normal.

Rubbing his face with his hands, Edward finally had enough. "Class dismissed." he called out.

Rejoicing their good luck, the majority of the students happily packed up their stuff and left.

"But sir, class isn't over yet. We still have twenty minutes." Hermione protested.

"Then sit there for twenty minutes and be quiet. I'm going to my room." And with that, the Alchemy professor retired to his room, oddly annoyed and mentally tired.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Later that night, Edward was still laying down in his bed. He had skipped dinner once again and was simply trying to get comfortable. His souls, feeling his pain, were as quiet as can be. The unusual silence was shocking, in a way.

Curling up under his warm covers, Edward let his eyes close. The headache from before wasn't exactly gone, but it was much more tolerable now, almost as if he simply got used to the pounding.

_Why is this happening to me?_

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Wow. I feel so late. Sorry guys. I also kinda left it on a cliffhanger. Oops. Sorry (not sorry...)**

**School has been stupid for the past week, which is why this is a bit late. I do have a funny story to tell, though. In my English class, we had to write a satirical paper, but multiple students plagiarized their paper, causing my teacher to go on a really angry and long rant because it wasn't just because they had plagiarized; it was multiple students with the same paper. What's even funnier is that I'm in AP/IB English, my teacher gave us a hour long presentation of why you shouldn't plagiarize, and that we have some special school rules known as the 'honor code' that makes cheating a huge offense. Why are people so stupid? Anyways, besides that funny little story, I got some, well, good news for me, bad news for you guys. **

**I'm going to NYC next week for some needed time off and because my laptop I have is really nice and really big (17.3 in. screen!) I won't be bringing it with me so that means an entire week without working on the next chapter. I'll try my best to get it out to you guys ASAP but if it's a bit late, that's why. No need for panic. (I'm really excited! I've never been that far up north. I hope I get to see some real snow! Where I live, we're lucky to have 3 in.!)**

**Oh, and the poll for the souls is now closed. Big thank you to everyone who voted in it! You know who you are. And the winning choice is..._"A little more, maybe every other chapter or so."_** **Looks like we'll be seeing a bit more souls from this point on! Hope you guys enjoy!**

**Anyways, question time!**

**Guest: Your guess is as good as mine. I was watching TV, got thirsty, and I just...happen to leave it in there. It was a few years ago. **

**Anyways, as always, thank you guys for reading! Don't forget to review!**


	28. EXTRA: April Fools!

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or HP! **

~~0~~0~~0~~

"_Arg! No, no, no! Why didn't it work?!" Edward fumed._

"_It's okay, Edward. You need to calm down."_

"_Calm down? How could I possibly calm down now? All this time, all these months led to nothing. Apparation was so close! But it's just a dead end. Another God-damn dead end!"_

_Nicholas sighed at Edwards melodramatics. Though it was disappointing that apparation led nowhere, they had opened up new ideas about magic, which counted for something. Sadly, Edward, understandably, couldn't care less about the magical breakthroughs they made. He just wanted to go home._

"_We'll figure it out, Edward. Remember, nothing's impossible, especially when we're talking about two magnificent geniuses!" Nicholas said, trying to both calm Edward down as well as support him._

_Edward slunk into his desk chair, all but disappearing behind the stacks upon stacks of notes and books on his desk. His eyes were liquid gold, full of anguish and sorrow. However, behind the sadness the light of determination still shone, bright and undefeated. Nicholas knew just by looking at the teen that, though he was saddened by the failure, Edward wouldn't stay down for long. _

"_Come on, Edward. There's plenty of other options. Floo travel. A portkey. And, um, I'm sure there's more ways! We just need to keep looking and experimenting." Nicholas urged excitedly._

_Edward perked up a bit. "Yeah, you're right, Nicholas. As always." _

"_Well, I wouldn't say _always, _but if you insist..." Nicholas grinned._

"_Oh, shut up you egomaniac!" Edward laughed._

_Giving each other the same, amused look, both dived right back into the research, hungering for knowledge._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward woke up with a horrible pounding in his head.

_Oh, yeah. The headache. I forgot._

Stretching his arms high above his head, he slipped out from under the covers, almost falling over from the intense pain in his head.

"Fucking, bitch, ass, cunt with a K." he snarled angerliy.

Yanking some clothings on, he went out and sat at hs desk. Glancing outsie, he coniced that it was still very ak ourside. Ugh. Headaces

And why did he have this headache In the first place? He wndered. It didn't make any sense...

"Well, of course it doesn't make sense! I don't have a job yet!" A cheerful voice sad.

Edard jerked his head up ay the sound if the voice. In front of him seemed to be a weird teenage girl. She was pretty unassuming, with a pretty average fave, wide brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. Besides wearing a long, tan trench coat that fell to her ankles, she also had a t-shirt on that showed a carton of milk with a smile face being poured into the center of a galaxy. An obvious, overused and unfunny pun.

She was also floating.

"What the- who are you? _What _are you/" Edward stammered, jumping up to his feet.

"I am!" She started, her voice thick with an american accent with the slight twang of southerness to it. "The Author!"

She started giggling. "Haha, I made a funny in the wrong fandom. What's up, Eddie-boi? Cat got yer tounge?"

"Ha?" Waa his oh so intelligent reply.

"No but seriously. I like, do things and stuff and look at this!"

All of a suddenly, he was wearing a bright pink lolita dress. "What the fu-"

"Shhh..." Thw teen muttered, placing a soft, but sweaty palm over his mouth. "Say noting, my man."

"Who are you?!" Edward asked againas soon as she took her hand away from his mouth.

"i told ya! I'm the author!" She turned to the window, as if looking at some audeiance that asn't there. "I know everything! Like what the headache is caused by! How time will unravel verrrrry shortly, and of course what you, voldie, and others will be getting up to preeetttty soon. Ha!"

"Wait, what? You're not making any sense! What's causing my headaches? What-"

The sweaty palm covered his mouth once again. "Shhh. Spoilers." She let out another loud bark of a laugh. "Another fandom!" She turned back to hr invisible audience. "I'm on fire today! Wonder if all the readers will get all the hints and shiz?"

"What, readers...?"

"Haha, oh look at the time! Must be going now. Got a sectional to catch and a paper to rewrite!" Catch ya later after this, Eddie-betty."

Edward could no longer say anything. He was too cinfuse; to in shock,

She straughtened up to leave. "Oh, but befrre I leave...

She leaned close to his ear.

"APRIL FOOLS! AND DON"T FORGET TO BUY YER GOLD!"

In a flash of multicolored light and the sound of what suspiciously sounded like T.V static mixed with mediocre clarinet playing, the teen was gone.

And Edward, for the first time in a long time, promptly fainted.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**...What? I missed it last year, so of course I gotta do something this year! Don't give me that look!**

**And you guys get to see how awful I actually type! Didn't make a single correction in this whatsoever!**

**Haha, but all jokes aside, sorry it's taking so long to update and for y'all's information, the flashback WAS real, and so is the chapter title. So, it's not a complete and TOTAL prank...**

**I have about...well, slightly less than half the chapter actually typed, but the entire thing planned (of course) So expect an actual update this week. Maybe next Monday. **

**For those of you wondering, I had a great time in New York. I already miss the city a lot. We pretty much did everything. Liberty Island, Ellis Island, The Empire state building (At night! Super beautiful) Metro. Museum, central park, china town (Where I got a 4 foot long Chinese sword! No joke! Was a hassle getting it back on the plane tho...) saw a play (It's Just A Play. There's actually a reference to the play in this chapter. See if you can spot it!) and ate lots of delicious food. Oh, and ****spilled hot tea on my hand trying to show off my tea-pouring skills. Also went on a Helicopter tour of the city, went to FAO Schwartz, the Apple store, Trump tower, visited a few beautiful churches and stuff...Over all, amazing place, New York. And media totally exaggerates the accents. That's another thing I noted. **

**The only thing we didn't do was visit the 9/11 memorial and Freedom Tower, which I really wanted to do, but oh well. **

**Besides that, my past couple of weeks have been a bit hectic because I actually did have to go rewrite an English paper and had to go to pre-UIL's. Ugh. Hate UIL. It'll be over in a couple of weeks tho. Which means more time for writing!**

**I've also gotten into the T.V show Gravity Falls, which is AMAZING! Like seriously, go watch it if you haven't already. If you like FMA you'll like Gravity Falls. This show is also why I haven't been writing as much as I probably should...**

**Oh, _another _thing is that I got a drawing tablet! Which means this story might (it will) have cover art soon! **

**Finally, if you guys haven't noticed, I've changed my pen name. I made 'ToxicKittySaurus' when I was 13. And it really shows. So I finally got a new one! For those who are curious, 'Lanx Borealis' is the brightest star in the Libra constellation and is roughly translated to 'the northern scale of the balance.'**

**Anyways, thanks for reading! (I guess) Hope you enjoyed! (I can feel all y'all's anger already!) See you guys next chapter!**


	29. Meeting Professor Lupin

**Disclaimer: Me no own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist!**

**And yes, this is the real chapter this time. I promise! **

~~0~~0~~0~~

"_Arg! No, no, no! Why didn't it work?!" Edward fumed._

"_It's okay, Edward. You need to calm down."_

"_Calm down? How could I possibly calm down now? All this time, all these months led to nothing. Apparation was so close! But it's just a dead end. Another God-damn dead end!"_

_Nicholas sighed at Edwards melodramatics. Though it was disappointing that apparation led nowhere, they had opened up new ideas about magic, which counted for something. Sadly, Edward, understandably, couldn't care less about the magical breakthroughs they made. He just wanted to go home._

"_We'll figure it out, Edward. Remember, nothing's impossible, especially when we're talking about two magnificent geniuses!" Nicholas said, trying to both calm Edward down as well as support him._

_Edward slunk into his desk chair, all but disappearing behind the stacks upon stacks of notes and books on his desk. His eyes were liquid gold, full of anguish and sorrow. However, behind the sadness the light of determination still shone, bright and undefeated. Nicholas knew just by looking at the teen that, though he was saddened by the failure, Edward wouldn't stay down for long. _

"_Come on, Edward. There's plenty of other options. Floo travel. A portkey. And, um, I'm sure there's more ways! We just need to keep looking and experimenting." Nicholas urged excitedly._

_Edward perked up a bit. "Yeah, you're right, Nicholas. As always." _

"_Well, I wouldn't say _always, _but if you insist..." Nicholas grinned._

"_Oh, shut up you egomaniac!" Edward laughed._

_Giving each other the same, amused look, both dived right back into the research, hungering for knowledge._

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward rubbed his head. Ugh. Stupid (most likely) magical induced headaches.

"We did our homework, Professor!" Fred cried out.

"Yeah! And we don't even _like _homework!" George added.

The class, along with Edward, gave a collected eye roll and sigh.

Edward shook his head. Though there were more fourth years that had turned in their homework than the third years, the number was still pitiful.

After chewing out the class over the neglected work, Edward had them all start on thick review packets, giving the same time frame that he gave his third years. Just because they were older and more did their homework in total doesn't mean he'll go easy on them, after all.

And, as expected, the entire class turned to one another as talking filled the air. With Fred and George in the room, a buzzing class was unavoidable. Deciding that if his student's failed it was on them, Edward sat down at his desk, leaning forward to scratch out more notes and equations. Might as well get some work done and hopefully fade into the world of ink, parchment, theories, and knowledge, letting everything else tune out.

And Edward was successful. For a while.

However, when it comes to Fred and George, a while is a surprisingly long, and thankful, time.

Too bad it couldn't last.

"So, Professor, have you met the new Defense teacher?" Fred asked.

Edward sighed. So close to tuning everything out, yet so far away at the same time.

"No." Was his curt reply.

"You should meet him, Professor. You'd like him. Though he is a bit more fun than you." George added in with a laugh.

Edward gave them a deadpan expression. "School is for learning, not having fun."

"Yeesh." the twins chimed at the same time, giving him exaggerated expressions of both horror and pity.

"You don't _really _think that, do you Professor?" George asked.

Edward gave a noncommittal grunt in reply.

The twins gave each other matching looks. Well, If Edward didn't believe in fun...they'll just have to make him. As they both stared at one another, a mutual understanding was struck, one that didn't need any words. They'll get Edward to admit having fun. Maybe not today. Probably not today.

Well, definitely not today. And most likely not tomorrow either. But one day.

His head bent over his notes, the poor professor didn't see the mischievous glint's in the red-heads eyes or the smirk that mirrored over both of their features.

They'll get him eventually. They always did, after all.

Edward straightened out, letting his back pop some. Cracking his neck side to side, he bent back over his notes, still ignoring the chattering. If they wanted to fail, well, that was their choice.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, class ended.

Edward was glad to see the last class of the day exit his room. His head was still aching something awful and, all in all, he simply didn't feel good.

Putting his head down on his desk, Edward let his eyes flutter shut. Soft chatter from his souls filled his mind. Normally, this would relax him but for whatever reason, simply made him feel uneasy. Something was wrong with his souls, but he didn't know what. Like he forgot something and he knew he forgot something, but for the nearly-immortal life of him couldn't remember exactly what he forgot. The feeling was distressing and exhausting.

Edward laid their for a few more moments. What he wouldn't give for some sleep right now. He remembered, when he was younger, how he hated sleeping. Just imagine what he could get done or what he could learn if he didn't have to waste hours sleeping? Now, however, all he wished he could do was sleep. Rest his mind, not deal with the world around him for a few hours. That would be amazing.

Lifting his head off the table, Edward peered outside. Though the sun wasn't setting yet, he could tell that it was later in the day. Most classes were over by now.

Standing up, Edward pushed his chair out of his way and walked around his desk and out the door. Maybe a small walk around the school would make him feel better. Maybe he'll even find some seventh years doing something their not supposed to be doing and be able to yell at them.

Circling around the empty hallway, Edward made his way up the stairs, ignoring the paintings' conversations around him. Skipping over the more...devious steps of the stairwell, Edward made it up to the next floor without incident and seeing any student.

His walk continued like this for a while. Simply wandering around where his feet took him, without a care in the world. That is, of course, until he turned a corner and ran straight into him.

Though Edward briefly did wobble slightly on his legs, having been forced to take a few steps back. However, the other man was pushed straight into the ground and on his butt in a pretty undignified manor.

"Ack, I'm sorry." Edward apologized. "Here." He continued, holding out his left hand to pull the man up.

The man, in turn looked up to stare at him. Besides having scraggly clothes, he also had red-rimmed brown, watery eyes that peered at him through limp hair. "Oh, no that's-" the man paused in his speech, his eyes widening ever so slightly. "Uh, I-I mean..." the hand he had raised to accept help dropped back into his lap. He sat there for a few more moments before catching back up with himself and pushing himself back to his own feet. "Sorry." He said, his eyes roving over Edward in a...almost suspicious manor.

Edward cocked an eyebrow, slightly perturbed by the man's behavior. "Are you sure your okay?" He asked.

The man in turn nodded his head in an almost too-fast manor. "I'm completely fine! No harm done!"

Edward cracked a small smile. "That's good. Sorry again for knocking you down. Name's Edward Elric, by the way. Alchemy Professor." He held out his hand to shake.

The man paused slightly when seeing the outstretched hand. Tensely, he gripped the gloved (left, strangely enough) hand in a weak handshake. "Remus Lupin. Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

Edward's eyes lit in recognition. "So this is the famed Professor Lupin that my students go on about." Edward replied.

Remus dropped his hand limply to his side, a faint, weak smile gracing his haggard features. "I guess I am. And you're the infamous Professor who tortures students."

Edward gave a hearty laugh, pretending he didn't notice the obvious stress in the other man's voice. "I guess I am!"

After his laughter died down, the two Professor's were left with an uncomfortable and awkward silence. Both glanced at one another, unsure what to say next.

"So...what are you doing?" Edward asked, continuing to ignore the slight tension in the air.

Remus simply shrugged, a tight and stiff gesture. "Nothing much. Just...just wandering about. You?"

"Same." Edward agreed. "I guess I'll be seeing you." He finished, side-stepping the newer teacher.

"I guess so." Remus concluded, watching as Edward turned and strode past him not looking back. He watched the man disappear from sight.

That...That man wasn't human.

He knew it.

Remus felt the wolf inside him slowly settle back into it's slumber, hackles slowly being lowered as Elric wandered further and further away.

Leaning against the wall, Remus hoped no one stumbled across him (again) as he collected himself.

Out of all the years he's had his...furry condition, (which was nearly his entire life) this had never, ever happened. He's happened across many magical creatures. From dragons to vampires to faeries, this situation has never occurred.

The tearing- that's what he'd named it- was awful. There were times before when his wolf instincts and human instincts didn't match up, causing horrible sickness, headaches, and strong emotions, but never _this _strong before.

He had been terrified. He felt as if his heart was about to be ripped open, like he was going to die. He felt as if the devil himself had just stared into his very soul, burning and punishing him. He had felt like he needed to run away, to get as far away from that-that _man. _He felt like his flesh was about to get ripped open with the dissonance between his terrified wolf half and his cautious human half.

It was sickening. It was horrendous.

He never wanted to feel that way again.

Remus peered out a nearby window, noting the sun's descent into the evening.

Dinner would start soon.

Hopefully, Elric wouldn't be at dinner again.

Remus sighed and slowly made his way back to his office. Better get cleaned up before heading down into the Great Hall.

Walking through thankfully empty corridors, he eventually got back into his office and room. Raking a hairbrush through his thin hair again, he proceeded to splash some water onto his face and rub his cheeks, trying to get his color back. Giving himself a hard look in the mirror, Remus decided that that was as good as he was going to get. Wiping the water off with a nearby ruby-red towel, he straightened up and made his way down for dinner.

Slipping into the Great Hall, Remus glanced around. Most of the student's seemed to have already come in to claim their food. Walking parallel to the wall, Remus made his way to the staff table.

Most of the Professor's were already sitting down and talking to one another, trading stories about their day and gossip about their students.

Glancing down the row of teacher's, Remus's heart fell when he saw Elric already sitting down talking to...Snape of all people ?

Snape and Elric?

Slowly lowering himself next to a red-faced Hagrid chatting excitedly with a stiff McGonagall, Remus piled some food onto his golden plate, halfway listening to the two unlikely professors converse.

Nothing all that interesting, really. Elric was complaining about a certain pair of mischievous red-haired twins while Snape simply nodded his head in agreement.

Remus sighed as he placed a piece of steak into his mouth. Though Elric was quite a few chairs down, the sickness came back full-force, causing his stomach to roll unpleasantly, killing off most his appetite. His mind was partially injected with fear from his wolf half, rhetorical hackles being slowly raised in warning.

Remus groaned inwardly. He really hoped that the entire year won't end up like this.

Placing a few more morsels into his mouth, Remus tried his best to zone out of the world around him so he could focus on eating. It was working, for the most part until a familiar, heavy hand clapped him happily on his shoulder.

"Hullo there, Remus." Hagrid beamed. "'ow was yer day?"

Remus gave Hagrid a light smile. "Same old-same old, really."

"That it?"

Remus lightly bit on the inside of his cheek. Well, it wouldn't be lying...but no. Might as well tell Hagrid what was (partially) on his mind. "Well, I did meet Edward today."

Hagrid gave a loud laugh, shaking his head while he did so. "Finally met the 'im? Hahaha, that kid sure is a 'pecial on all righ.'"

Ignoring Hagrid's slurring, Remus answered politely as ever. "He sure is...interesting."

Hagrid continued to laugh. "I imagine he didn't give ya the best impression."

Remus shook his head, smiling lightly.

Hagrid had no idea...

"You could say that." Remus finally agreed. "He ran straight into me, knocking me down."

Hagrid gave a large grin. "Sounds like 'im. Kid always seems ta have his 'ead in the clouds."

Remus glanced over to Elric, watching as said teacher tried to show an unimpressed Snape how to balance a spoon in his nose, failing miserably while he did so.

"Yes..." Remus concluded, letting his voice trail off. "Well then." He said, standing up. "I think I'm going to turn in early. Goodnight, Hagrid."

"G'nigh, Remus." Hagrid replied, turning back to a slightly annoyed McGonagall.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Remus flipped through yet another book, slow dread and suspicion setting into his stomach. This was the fifth book he's looked through, for the seventh time, and he still was no closer to figuring out what Elric was.

Because Remus was certain that the strange, golden-haired, _golden-eyed, _man wasn't human.

Remus put trust in his uncanny wolf instincts. Out of all the years he's been alive, in all the situations he's been in, his instincts, very rarely, failed him.

He had failed in knowing what happened with Sirius Black. Had failed his best friend, his wife, and their only son...

But that was different than what was going on now. Figuring out what creature that could act exactly like a human and somehow do something as complicated as Alchemy of all things...oh, and be golden-haired and golden-eyed as well...well, that narrowed down the options a lot.

And yet, he found nothing. Nothing about Alchemy. Nothing about werewolves being naturally repelled by anything that was alive and not a plant, nothing at all.

Remus laid his head down on his desk, exhaustion yanking on his conscious and eyelids. He was tired. So very tired. But he had sworn to himself to at least find _something _about the man.

But, lying down closing his eyes...felt so nice. Relaxing. He's always had sleep issues. Part of being a creature of the night, after all. This was a rare occurrence. And besides, Elric didn't _seem _dangerous. He had been trying to balance a spoon on his nose at dinner, after all.

But, but what if he _was _dangerous? He had been wrong about Sirius Black...well, everyone had been wrong about Black. But he should have sensed it. He should have known. His sense told him nothing then, but are telling him everything now. And besides, it _seemed _like Black was helping them. Seemed like he loved them, was friends with them, _cared _for them.

But the reality was that he didn't. Didn't give a damn. He turned to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Turned his back on everyone.

And Remus wasn't paying enough attention until it was too late. But not this time.

He's going to find out what Elric was. Find out who he's working for, if anyone. Find out what he wants.

Lifting his head, Remus went back to reading his book, this time for the eighth time.

He wouldn't fail.

Not again.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**And there we go! The actual chapter! Sorry if it's a bit on the short side (like Ed...don't tell him I said that!) I think lot's of interesting things happened here. Things I don't think y'all saw coming (hopefully) Well, nothing much for me to say so let's move on to question time!**

**Sachiel Angelo- Loved my trip to NYC (as you can tell) No, the weather was perfect. Didn't snow at all (sadly) but there was snow on the ground, so I guess that's good enough!**

**KK- Really. **

**Here's some questions from the last real chapter that I didn't answer!**

**Curious- Interesting idea...but I'm not spoiling anything!**

**Krazyfanfiction1- I always love your reviews. You give me such good ideas with your questions. But to answer a couple; well, not stating anything about the mind-reading. No spoilers here, nope. As for the teaching thing...probably. But Ed's been out of the loop for a bit and though he's got a recent year under his belt now, there is still more for him to learn! As for Truth. I'll say this: He exists.**

**Cyberdragon725- What is wrong indeed. Who knows? (I know!)**

**Anyways, thank you guys for being the best readers an author could have. You guys are patient and awesome and totally rad. Thank you guys for reading as always and I hope you enjoyed!**


	30. A Somewhat Dire Warning

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or HP!**

~~0~~0~~0~~

"_How many times do I have to tell you, Nicholas. You need a _circle _not an oval."_

"_But this is a circle!"_

"_No it's not! It's shaped like an egg!"_

"_No it's- wait, wait." An irritated sigh left Nicholas's mouth. "You're right. It's a slight oval."_

"_A slight oval is still an oval." _

"_I'm aware of this!"_

_Edward rolled his eyes at Nicholas who proceeded to erase his chalk circle to try again. After failing the apparation route, Nicholas had wanted to start going down the port-key route to see if that could be the key for getting Edward back home. However, Edward refused. Though he was grateful for having such a great friend, he wanted Nicholas to start on Alchemy. He knew the crazy wizard would love it._

_And he was right. Nicholas seemed to take to Alchemy like a fish to water. He knew formulas, picked up on chemistry amazingly well, knew how circles worked, and even survived every physical challenge Edward could throw at him. _

_Too bad he couldn't seem to draw to save his life. _

"_Again!" Edward commanded, a shit-eating grin on his face._

_Nicholas scowled. "You're loving this, aren't you?"_

_Edward mocked an innocent look. "What would give you that idea? I only want my one and only student to succeed."_

_Nicholas gave a growl in response, causing Edward to laugh._

_Pouting, the man tried, for what must have been the thousandth time, to draw a basic circle._

_And once again, failed. _

_Nicholas let out another annoyed sound. _

"_What was that?" Edward asked, smirk obvious. _

"_...Nothing...?" He posed it as a question._

_Edward gave him a knowing look. "Alchemy is _not _stupid." _

_Nicholas gave a smug look right back. "I didn't say it was stupid. I said it was idiotic."_

_Edward scowled as Nicholas let out an amused bark of a laugh._

"_Just get back to drawing your damn circle."_

~~0~~0~~0~~

"Really, Draco? Was all this _really necessary_?" Hermione scolded.

Draco, in turn, glanced away from the fuming Gryffindor, finding the wall of the abandoned corridor they were in much more interesting all of a sudden. He vaguely remembered a muggle saying that said Gryffindor told him. He couldn't quite remember how it went, but he did recall it saying something about a woman's scorn.

Now he understood.

"Well?" She continued to ask.

And he still didn't give her a response.

Finally, after a few more beats of silence, Hermione leaned against the wall.

"I can and will wait here all day so you might as well save your time and spill already."

Draco let out an annoyed noise, followed by an indigent huff. "Fine, fine! It's just...I mean I-" he scowled, feeling heat pool beneath his skin on his cheeks. He couldn't tell if it was from annoyed anger or embarrassment. Turning around, he marched away.

"Draco! _Draco! _Don't turn your back on me!" Hermione huffed, pushing herself up from the wall to follow him, stomping slightly in her rage.

"I don't have to tell you anything! Now leave me alone." He spat back, venom lacing his tongue.

Hermione paused slightly at his tone. She'd never heard Draco sound so uncontrolled.

"Yes you do." She snapped back, picking up her pace as he turned down another corridor.

"No I don't. I don't have to do anything for you." He replied. He still didn't turn to look at her.

Hermione lengthened her steps in hope to catch up with the Slytherin. "Yes you do. We're friends, aren't we?"

Draco froze.

Hermione caught up with him. Coming around his right side, she stood in front of him, a defiant spark in her eyes.

He blinked slowly as she slid into his line of sight. His eyes were widened and his mouth was parted slightly.

Hermione's confidence wavered slightly at his deer-caught-in-the-headlights gaze.

"...Draco?" She asked, unsure.

The platinum blond visibly gulped as sweat lightly beaded on his forehead. Staring at the mudbl- _muggle-born_, he wasn't so sure what to say. His father's voice rang in his ears.

"_Filthy little rats trying to dirty our magic..."_

"_...bet they stole it...Lying rats."_

"_...almost as bad as werewolves, really. What is the Ministry thinking, giving those creatures _jobs._" _

"_...equal rights, more like pure-blood persecution..."_

"_They deserve whatever they get."_

"_Don't let filth rub off on you like that."_

"_Salazar had the right idea, Draco. There aren't any private schools for _real _wizards anymore. Just shows how everything is going to the dogs now."_

Draco swallowed harshly. When he had saw Hermione again for the first time all year, excitement had taken place over what he was taught. It was so easy to forget her heritage now. Or, lack thereof, according to his father. Now, staring into her bright brown eyes, lion's mane of curls standing on in as she stood before him, confidence radiating out of her, Draco felt small. Weak.

However, as his father's words ran through his ears and mind, so did another's. His second favorite teacher, actually.

"_See? You both bleed red. No mud here."_

"_Everyone's human. Magic or not."_

True, his father has said more against the muggles than he's ever heard Elric say for, but somehow, for some unknown reason, Elric's words didn't just feel _right,_ but _powerful_.

They rang inside him, strong and unwavering.

Staring at the Gryffindor in front of him, Draco finally claimed control over his facial muscles, blinking his eyes while closing his mouth, ignoring the bit of spit that had drooled onto his chin. Hopefully Hermione didn't notice that.

He cracked a small, but noticeable grin. "Of course we're friends." He reassured.

Hermione beamed at him.

"However, as a friend, I do want to ask you to respect my privacy. I promise I'll tell you. Just...not today." Draco added in quickly.

Hermione's face fell slightly while at the same time her cheeks flooded with a pink from embarrassment. Understanding lit her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I shouldn't have pressured you." She apologized, her eyes not quite meeting his.

"It's fine." He reassured her.

And just like that, the tension melted away, leaving two unlikely friends free to talk about their day.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward popped his back, feeling it loosed as he did so. Squaring out his shoulders, he easily slid into another stance once again. Air rushed past his lungs, calming him as he breathed. Focused on his center of balance, he went through the motions of his kata once again, feeling all the muscles working in tandem, pushing and pulling right under his skin. Finishing the move, the professor straightened up, letting out another calm, soothing breath.

Ever since last year's fiasco with the Basilisk, he had been wanting to try out his sparring once again. Though he never had to worry about himself physically, being locked in time, his skills did waver and fade with age without practice.

He frowned, lightly swaying on the balls of his feet. It was hard to practice without a sparring partner. He knew many people did spar alone, but he always had someone to work with. That, or he kept his skills sharp by actual fighting.

Unfortunately, with the rise of the new age as well as where his current interests laid and where he was, there really wasn't anyone to fight or spar with. He hadn't had to in...well, he couldn't remember the last fight he had before the Basilisk. The Korean War? Or was it the Vietnam War? He knew he did some minor fighting in one of them in self-defense, but in all honesty he got both of them mixed up with one another. Live long enough and everything just melds together. Especially since he didn't need to sleep. It was like his entire life happened over the course of a single, long day that _still _wasn't over...

Edward slipped back into a second kata, shaking his darkening thoughts away. It was hard to be alone sometimes nowadays, but it was also being around other people as well. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what he wanted to be alone or not anymore.

Edward danced through a few more sets, muscles limber and mind focused but free. Letting out a small bark of a laugh, the golden-haired man couldn't stop a smile working it's way onto his normally grim features. When was the last time he smiled and felt this _good _when all alone? He couldn't remember. Maybe he'd never felt happy when alone before until now.

Popping his neck as he finished his fifth set, Edward relaxed against his desk in a brief mental break, feeling alive more than ever. Why did he ever stop practicing?

A small knock alerted his gaze to the locked door of his classroom. Giving himself a mental pat on the back for remembering to lock the door before stripping and practicing, Edward silently moved to the side to collect and put on his normal clothing. Didn't need anyone seeing his automail, after all.

"Who is it?" Edward called, shoving his socks on.

"Uh, it's Neville, sir." A nervous voice called out from the other side.

Raising an eyebrow at his surprise guest, Edward called out a "wait a moment" before yanking his red coat on. Giving himself a quick once over, he pulled his gloves on a bit higher before striding over and opening the door.

"What's up, Neville?" Edward asked, leaning against his desk casually.

Neville gave Edward a small smile. He had thought the man to be terrifying last year, almost as bad as Snape! But in reality, Edward was just a tough, eccentric teacher with a bizarre sense of humor. Not malicious in any way, shape, or form.

It was one of the things that made him his favorite professor.

"Um, nothing much, Professor." Neville replied.

"Edward." The golden man corrected.

"Huh?"

"Remember? When we're alone, call me Edward. Formalities are boring. And annoying.

Neville couldn't help the grin that slid onto his face. "Oh yeah. Okay...Edward."

Said man smiled. "So, whatcha doing here?"

Neville tipped his head, finding more interest in his shoes."Oh! Well, it's just that, um, I was wondering if...if y-you. Uh..." His face was engulfed by a mad, red embarrassed blush.

Edward blinked slowly, waiting with the patience of a saint for Neville to spit his words out.

"If you, could, uh, help tutor me in Alchemy. You don't have to if you don't want to though! I mean, I just want to make sure what I'm doing is right and learn more 'cause I really like it and it's interesting and..."

"Neville!" Edward interrupted, amusement dancing in his golden eyes. "Breathe."

Neville nodded and huffed in a small puff of needed oxygen. His cheeks were still cherry red.

"Look at me." Edward said kindly, watching carefully as the boy's eyes darted up to meet his relaxed gaze.

"Neville, what makes you think that you need help?"

"I, uh, well I don't want to fall behind and I really, really like Alchemy. Like, just as much as Herbology and I don't want to fail at it 'cause I like it so much and I want to know more and-"

Edward held up a hand, effectively silencing the rambling boy.

"Is that the only reason?" Edward asked. In all honesty, he worried about the boy at times. Neville had the tendency to be kind to a fault, making him an easy target for bullies. It also didn't help that the child's self-esteem was a bit on the low side, most likely cause by the teasing bullies gave him. It angered him to know that some bastard kids would actively go out of their way to hurt someone so kind, but that was simply how the world worked. It was mean and cruel and very, very unfair.

"That's the only reason, Edward. Really." Neville reassured.

Gazing at the boy, Edward knew right away that Neville was telling the truth. In fact, Edward didn't think it was possible for the boy to lie. He was too soft and trusting.

Edward rubbed his nose lightly with his left hand. "To be honest, Neville, you are one of my top students, if not _the _top student of your year."

Neville's eyes shined. "Really?" He whispered in disbelief. "Better than even Hermione?"

Edward's smile grew. "Really. Even better than Hermione. You always turn in your work on time, do it near perfect to a fault. I've never heard you whine or complain. Heck, I don't think you even get frustrated with yourself. You're the model, perfect student and with all the crazy teenager drama happening everywhere, it's refreshing. You really don't _need _any tutoring."

Neville's expression was caught between shyness, disbelief, and a small but growing inkling of pride. The redness from his cheeks enveloped his ears. "Oh." he murmured, unable to say anything else.

Edward smirked. He had made the kid speechless. "However, that doesn't mean anything. Alchemy is a process in which you must always work to get better. There is always more to learn, more to think about. It's a very creative thing in which as long as you follow the basic rules, you can do anything. As I've said, Alchemy is a science and different ideas are always thought up of and tested."

Edward pushed himself off the desk. Walking to the other side, he rummaged around in some of the drawers of his desk, pulling out a book. It was thick, with a brown cover with yellow pages sticking up and out everything. It looked like it had black text on the cover initially, but was faded away with time.

"This is a very special book. Completely handwritten with pretty much all the basics and ideas you'll ever need to know. It's been...passed down my family."

Neville gently took the book from Edward's outstretched hand, holding it as if it would completely fall apart at any second. Considering the condition, the prediction wasn't to far off.

"There's things in there that we haven't quite touched upon yet. As long as you promise to keep it safe, you can borrow it."

Neville was still speechless. "But-but don't you need it? For class or something?"

Edward shook his head. "Nope. Already have the thing memorized. Besides, I think it'll interest you a lot more than it would most my students."

Neville hugged the book close to his chest protectively. "Th-thank you, Edward. I-I'll keep it safe. Thank you."

Edward smiled. "Just don't preform any Alchemy without me being there to guide you, okay?"

Neville nodded quickly. "Of course, Edward!"

With a few more stuttered 'thank-you's,' Neville left the classroom, making his way to the library to read his new-to-him book.

Edward shut the door behind the kid, lips pulled tight in a warm smile.

He really, really did like Neville.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward groaned and rolled over again. He laid there for a few more minutes, listening to the quiet, maddening _tick tick tick _of the clock before rolling over once again.

Of course, he didn't _really _need sleep, but he did enjoy the apathy that came from resting his mind and allowing himself to become one with his souls for a few hours.

However, that was currently impossible with his headache that never left and the fact that he couldn't seem to get comfortable.

Sitting up briefly, the man twisted around to fluff his pillow a bit before flopping back down.

Another restless night.

Just like the last night.

And the night before...

And the night before...

And the night before...

Edward let out another annoyed groan. He hadn't had a good rest since coming here. Every time he fell into the apathetic and welcome void he felt...empty. It was almost a paradox, when he thought about it but true. He felt as if there was something _missing _inside him and the more he dwelled on his headache paired with the feeling, the more empty and strange he felt.

Ugh. He needed to stop letting his mind wander.

Sitting up again, he rubbed his flesh hand against his face, feeling the cold, static air of his room. It was oppressing.

Removing his left hand from his face, he absentmindedly ran it against his cool automail arm, feeling the sharp creases of metal and the slight dings and bumps with the occasional screw scratching against his skin.

Deciding he wasn't going to get any rest that night, Edward threw his covers off his legs and stood up. Striking a match, he quickly went and relight the candles and torches in his room, watching shadows dance across the walls.

Redressing himself quickly, Edward sat at the small desk he had, staring down at the mess of notes. He really needed to clean up, there was no possible way for him to work easily in such conditions, after all. However, cleaning up after himself had never been an enjoyable activity and even in his hundreds of years, often couldn't help but put it off when it had to be done.

Rolling a pencil back and forth, Edward glanced up at the calendar he had pinned to the wall, the date making him freeze up a bit inside.

It was October second.

His shoulders tensed. It wasn't quite _the day_, but close enough. Close enough for him to feel old wounds and scars reopen and leak a little, enough for him to let his mind wander yet again what activities he would be getting into the next day...

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Edward willed his darkening thoughts away. He had time to contemplate what happened in the past. That time was not now.

Glaring down at his messy desk once more, he let out a hiss of frustration. Now he _really _wasn't in the mood to clean up. Or research at all, for that matter. Standing up suddenly, Edward grabbed his white gloves and yanked them onto his hands. He really didn't want to stay in his room.

Striding out of the door to his room, across the classroom, and out into the hallway, Edward once again found himself wandering around Hogwarts.

He allowed his feet to take charge for once, not paying attention to where exactly he was going. Vaguely aware of the paintings on the wall, he turned corners and swept up and down the moving staircases, letting his mind settle on more simple thoughts such as those about his students.

Edward never considered himself a person good with kids. However, that didn't mean he didn't enjoy their presence or the hilarity that they brought. Watching the little munchkins try and figure out Alchemy while he towered above them was funny as hell. So was the way their faces would twist up in despair when he assigned a lot of homework or an essay. Heck, nearly every response they made to his antics made him want to laugh. From physical exercise to watching them try and stay focused while studying, there was always an interesting expression to observe, a twist of facial features that made his insides bubble with giddiness.

Edward couldn't fight the stupid grin that made it's way on his face. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he felt so..._happy._

He was happy here in the Wizarding world.

Who woulda' thunk?

Edward turned his head to blankly stare out some windows to his right, dimly aware of the sharp, fat, and bright crescent in the sky. A river of stars cut through the dark night, stretching across the sky in a milky band. A number of other constellations burned brightly alongside it, proud and infinite.

Edward was so enraptured by the sight above him through the window, he wasn't aware of a familiar voice calling out his name.

"Edward? Edward? What are you doing?" Severus asked.

Snapping out of his stupor, Edward flashed around to face his friend, an apologetic smile on his lips. "Oh. Hey Severus. How are you?"

Severus cocked an eyebrow at the man, deciding not to question why he was zoned out.

"What are you doing wandering around at night. I didn't think you had to patrol tonight."

Edward awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Eh, couldn't sleep so I decided to take a stroll."

Severus nodded in understanding. He knew all to well how hard it was to relax at night without letting your mind wander to more unpleasant memories.

"I see."

"Yup. Just, ya know. Letting my feet take me where ever." The golden man glanced out the window. "Sure is a pretty night. I forgot how bright the moon and stars were out here in the country.

Severus looked out the window swith Edward, staring up at the large crescent in the sky.

"Don't trust Lupin."

The words left his mouth before he even realized he said them.

Feeling the little color he had drain out of his face, Severus turned to his acquaintance, hoping that the man hadn't heard his out of character slip up.

Though it was dark, Edward's golden eyes practically glowed in the low light, betraying a slightly startled expression. "Huh?" He asked.

Clenching his teeth, Severus took a few seconds to ponder what he would say next. In all honesty, he didn't worry about Lupin too much. But he had seen the way the dog had been glaring at Edward, an obvious sign of dislike. Severus wasn't so sure how Edward hadn't noticed yet.

And though he knew Lupin probably wouldn't try and hurt Edward, it didn't mean accidents couldn't happen.

"Just stay away from Lupin." Severus reworded, keeping a quiet mask of calm around himself and over his tone.

"What? Why?" Edward questioned.

Severus felt a frown touch the corner of his lips. Why did he say anything at all? Seeing no way to backtrack, Severus simply told Edward what he could. He did keep his promises after all, even if he didn't want too.

"I can't tell you. But do try and avoid him." With his last words ringing in the static air, Severus turned on his heel and melted back into the darkness, leaving a confused and worried Edward standing by the window staring at the moon.

~~0~~0~~0~~

**I meant to post this Sunday, but a family emergency came up and it got pushed back some, so sorry about that. **

**Look! Character development and platonic friendship feels! Gotta love that! Looks like some things are starting to turn...wonder how it will all play out.**

**Anyways, as I've said, school is being school. Recently, I haven't had any homework which has lead me to start and do different things outside of school. I've been working on some fanart recently (that's how we got a cover now, if anyone's noticed. It's pretty crappy, but I did only spend about an hour on it) My school is also having a Poetry Slam so I've been working on a poem to enter. **

**I've also been working on some fanfic ideas. Since I had the time to, I decided to write out another multi-chapter fanfic again but fear not! Unlike last time, I actually planned out the plot before writing it and I write it strictly on my phone during the week when I can (usually at school) It's a Gravity Falls fanfic called _Singularity_ if your interested in it. So far, it has one chapter out and about 4 1/2 chapters written (roughly 16,000 words long) **

**Also, here's some more self advertising! **

**I recently wrote a Gravity Falls 4-shot called _What We Can't See, What We Can't Hear, What We Can't Say_ (long title I know) and I went and used a different writing style in it that I think is actually a bit better than the style here so I want your opinions: Should I change my style or keep it the same? **

**Another thing! I recently got an AO3 account and I've posted some stuff there. Same stuff as here, but if you like that layout better, it's available to you. However, _Keeping A Promise_ is strictly staying a exclusive, meaning I won't post it anywhere else. Why? Because. That's why. **

**Okay, last thought of the night. I was thinking about making a Tumblr Blog for my fanfiction. A place where I can tell you guys when I'll update next, answer questions, post art, write drabbles, accept prompt ideas or head canons, and other related shiz and I, once again, wanted your opinions. How many of you would actually follow if I did so or think it's a good idea? I like being able to connect with my readers and since I dislike Twitter and I already have a personal Tumblr and I know how to use Tumblr, I thought it might be a good idea. Yes? No? I'll go ahead and make a poll on my profile as well for those who don't want to leave a review. **

**Okay, I lied. Here's the last thing. Question Time!**

**allietheepc7- Hmm...I don't know. I'm not a werewolf, after all!**

**Bubblekins1010- This chapter either helped answer that question or made it more mysterious. I'll say this, though. So far, no one has guessed the reason correctly.**

**Guest- Well, as you can tell, this is still being updated and stuff...Don't worry. I won't abandon this fic. As I've said, it's my baby and I've put way too much time and effort in this thing to _not _finish it!**

**Ah! What a long A/N but at last, it is over. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to review! It's what keeps me alive (not really) **

**Thank you for reading!**


	31. Three-Ten

**Disclaimer: Guess who doesn't own FMA or HP? This person right here typing this! Hard to believe, right?**

~~0~~0~~0~~

"_Are you okay, Nicholas!?" A desperate voice yelled._

_Nicholas let out a weak cough, feeling as if his lungs were trying to shrivel up and die in his chest. He could clearly feel something wet drip down his center, hot and thick._

_He could feel someone crouched next to him, staring down and leaning over him._

"_Oh God, oh God you're bleeding. I-I'm going to get the bandages. Don't move and-and don't fall asleep!" The voice Nicholas identified as Edward stuttered out. The presence next to him disappeared._

_The man let out another wet-sounding cough, his heart slowing down it's erratic beat. Shapes and colors swam in his vision, fuzzy and out of focus. Blinking, he could feel something crusting his eyes shut. Naturally, he lifted his arm to try and rub the crust out._

_Big mistake._

_His chest burned in agony, pain trailing all the way down his torso. Nicholas couldn't stop the loud cry form escaping his chapped lips. _

_There was the sound of many somethings falling in the background, along with frantic footsteps and hissed out curses._

"_I told you not to move!" Edward bit out, falling to his side again. Nicholas tried to focus his eyes on his friend. Colors were slowly bleeding back into his vision, muddy and gross. Shapes were taking form as well, unrefined and sharp. At least he could now see the shape of Edward's head bending over him, unraveling the bandages they had, along with his shocking golden hair. _

"_I'm going to have to lift you up to disinfect this."_

_Nicholas blinked, not sure what Edward was talking about. He watched as Edward dump out a bottle of what looked like some sort of alcohol onto a rag. _

_His wounds let sharp flashes of agony run through his body in an unnecessary reminder of their presence._

_Next thing the man new was the biting cold air on his skin as his partner removed what was left of his clothes._

"_This is going to sting a bit..." Edward trailed off._

_The feeling of his already burning wounds get scorched again ripped a screech of pain out of him. His arms flailed around, confounded on what to do as his flesh tore itself apart._

_After what felt like years, the new pain finally subsided, leaving him feeling raw. Dry tears coated his cheeks, cracking under the movement of his jaw._

"_What...!" He gasped, lungs still curled up in his chest. "What...!"_

_Edward shushed him, a gentle sound that Nicholas couldn't believe Edward could actually make. Something tight started to wind against him, putting pressure on his wounds. A sharp ache started up where Edward was wrapping him up, around and around and around his torso in a never ending loop. _

_His vision starting to blacken around the edges, Nicholas let his eyes slide shut as his body was jostled. He could feel that he was in the air faintly as well as the shuffle of him being moved. Luckily, the bandages were tight enough as too not rub against him too much._

_As soon as his sore body hit something soft, most likely his bed, Nicholas let his conscious drift away as sleep claimed him._

~~0~~0~~0~~

He groaned.

It was a loud and gross sound, saliva bubbling at the back of his throat, bitter tasting and old.

Edward lifted his head slightly off the table to look at the calender that read a clear and dreadful 3/10.

He turned an old pocket watch over and over in his left hand, the cool metal sharp against his hot skin. With his left hand, he took another shot of...some alcohol or another. In honesty, he was too far gone in far away memories and grief to even pay attention to what poison he was putting inside himself.

His headache was still going on strong, fading and strengthening in its pounding at random intervals, making it impossible to predict.

Edward poured himself another shot and threw it down, not even tasting it. His tongue felt swollen and dry in his mouth while his body was heavy with fatigue. His mind ticked by slow and unsteady, in rhythm with his headaches.

His souls shuffled around inside him, they too feeling the pain of his headache, though not exactly in the way he was feeling it, after all. They didn't have bodies...or anything, really to hold them down except the pull and make-up of the stone and their own memories.

And that was all his fault. Ever since six hundred and something fucking years. Over half a thousand.

A tearless cry echoed from his lips as he slammed down another shot.

He put his head back down on his desk.

Edward felt so, so _old _right then and there. So very, _very _old.

He had the weight of the world on his shoulders, it's terrible and bloody history in his veins. Every movement, every era recorded in his mind. From the witch hunts to the Renaissance to the American Civil War to both world wars to the Cold War to the Vietnam War and Korean War to every little thing between. Every major war, every assassination ever recorded and accounted for, _every little damn thing _was in his mind, fresh as it had been a decade ago, fifty years ago, a century ago.

So many memories it was hard to even understand how he kept track of it all, had he not gone completely and utterly insane in all the long years.

And yet...

Yet...

Yet...

Yet...

He would preserve. He would continue on for much longer.

And that thought, that fact, that _finality _broke his very soul.

He didn't want to take anymore steps forward. He didn't need to, not really. He'd seen enough, done enough. He waned his lifeline to end. To fade away...

_Like dust in the sky. _

That's all he would ever want now. What was the point to it all? To anything?

The people he'd meet, the people he's already met...

They don't really matter. He'd outlive them all. He knew he would. He'd still be on this world, forever unchanging while everyone around him withered away into dust and be forgotten by time.

He wanted to be forgotten too.

Edward barked out a cold and sour laugh, this time pouring himself an actual drink of...whiskey. Yeah, whiskey. Chuckling into his drink, the golden man guzzled down the liquid, hot and dry. Practically tasteless at this point.

He was jealous.

Jealous that _they _could die, but he couldn't.

The thought ate him up and spat him out.

What a horrible thing to be jealous about. What a beautiful and terrible thing.

His laughs died down into sobs.

Terrible and beautiful.

Edward clutched his chest.

Just like the stone.

Memories of the thing engulfed him.

Stopping Nicholas all those years ago.

First telling Nicholas even farther back in a better time.

Al turning into the Stone.

The truth about the Homunculi.

The truth about the stone.

Trying to figure out how to even make a Stone...

Reading snippets about it in a book...

His history with the damn thing was deep. Enriched in death, soaked in tragedy, and complicated.

Edward almost laughed again. He'd think it was destiny if he believed in destiny.

But in reality, there was no grand purpose. At least, not what he's seen. There was no fate guiding you by the hand, no destiny whispering in your ear.

No pearly gates.

No flames.

He _knew _what was at the end of the line. _Knew _without doubt, as he had been there before, done that before.

_Why couldn't he of just stayed dead?_

No pearly gates, but _a _gate. _The _Gate, to be exact, with the one honest and pure thing waiting for him, waiting for everyone.

Truth.

It was a simple word, Truth, but held so much meaning. Truth was fact. Truth was what there always was, always is, and always will be.

Truth is what made the universe spin.

Truth is what started holy wars.

Truth was where everything played out.

_And it was so damn hilarious. _

Edward barked out another laugh. Oh, he never thought in a million years he'd miss the white being, miss the weird and mystical...whatever Truth was, guarding the Gate.

But he did. Oh, he did.

He could almost hear the being's laughter in his ears, almost hear his strange voice of every tone, every person, every sound ever.

_So fucking hilarious. It really, really was. So hilarious._

Edward finished off his drink and poured another.

He could feel the souls within him meander about, wandering in whatever plane of existence the Stone held. As per usual, some tried to calm him, get him off the path of self destruction and loathing.

Others ignored it, either too used to the dreaded day or apathetic about his depression in the first place.

Others, the hateful, cruel souls most ignored, poked at his pain, revealed and encouraged every dark thought and bitter rage.

However, just as the helpful souls were ignored, so were the terrible ones. His agony was his to bear _alone_. He didn't need others telling him what he already knew. Didn't need others comforting him.

Sometimes, he wished none of the souls got attached to him, wished he was apathetic to them as well.

If he was apathetic and if they were apathetic, well, he wouldn't even be in this situation.

Quite literally.

He'd have been gone years ago.

However, that wasn't the case because he _did _care, he cared about a lot of things, too many things, sometimes.

And sometimes, like now, he wished he would just. Stop. _Caring_.

But he couldn't.

And that's what made him sob.

~~0~~0~~0~~

"No class? Study in the Library?" Hermione read, head cocked partially to the side in confusion.

On the girl's right, Neville simply shrugged, his eyes tight in confusion. Meanwhile, on the girl's left, Harry simply bit his bottom lip, blinking slowly.

"Didn't this happen last year?" Harry wondered out loud, lightly tapping his chin with a finger.

"Yeah. And that was...disturbing, to say the least. Can't believe I forgot that happened really." Neville replied, clutching the old journal Edward had given him to his chest tightly. Worry settled over the young boy. Last year Edward had been completely and utterly drunk. He'd had said some...well, Neville didn't remember _what _exactly Edward had said, but it had been weird. And worrying.

Hermione scowled slightly at the door, lips pressed into a thin line. Most of her was worried for the eccentric professor. Neville was right, what happened last year had been a cause for worry. However, another part of Hermione was suspicious. This happened _exactly _a year ago, but why? What was so important about October the third? What caused Edward to lock himself up and, if last year was anything to go by, try and get alcohol poisoning?

It was just another mystery to add to her list, it seemed. So many strange questions and too few of answers.

"Let's go to the Library, than." Hermione said, already turning away to stride down the corridor. "It's what were supposed to do, after all."

"Wait for me!" Harry called out, scurrying to catch up to the bushy haired Gryffindor.

Giving the knob-less door one last look, Neville took off after the group, his own questions tumbling in his mind.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Once at the Library, Hermione easily ditched Harry and Neville within the bookcases. Weaving between people and tables, Hermione found a nice corner tucked away from everyone else and proceeded to drop her bag onto the desk and take out a roll of parchment she'd started. Making sure no one was around her, the girl unraveled the scroll.

At the top of the scroll was the title, _The Unanswered Mysteries of Professor Edward Elric. _Already, a handful lines were neatly printed:

_Why does he have gold hair and eyes?_

_What does the symbol on the back of his jacket mean?_

_Where did he learn Alchemy? From who?_

_Why is he interested in muggles?_

_Why does he refrain from using magic?_

_Why does he use muggle devices such as paper, pens, and pencils?_

_How is he so young and so gifted?_

_Why was Alchemy brought back in the first place?_

_Why is Alchemy the only elective available to all years? _

_Why does he avoid eating in the Great Hall most the time?_

Dipping her quill into a bottle of ink, Hermione put down the, in her opinion, strangest question she had collected so far.

_Why is the third of October so important?_

Placing down her writing utensil, Hermione chewed on a bit of her hair, running it over her slightly crooked teeth. So many 'why's' and 'what's' but no actual answers.

She had pulled out book after book about different magical creatures that looked humanoid, but nothing matched Edward's tannish skin and golden features.

She had looked for the symbol. She _knew _she'd seen it before. She recognized it from somewhere. But where? She had torn through many different books all about magical symbols and their meanings, but nothing fit.

As for the rest of the questions she had...no amount of books could answer them. Only the mind of Edward Elric himself could and if Hermione had noticed anything so far over the past year and so, is that despite his eccentric and at times outgoing behavior, Edward Elric was a very secretive man.

He'd traveled all over for research, but who was funding him? How was he getting the money?

Hermione added that question to her list.

Where was he born? What about his family? Harry had told her what his flat looked like. It was devoid of most personal touches, just like his classroom. Of course, this made since if he traveled a lot, but he wasn't anymore, was he? If so, then why no personal touches?

Hermione added that question to her list as well.

She glared down at her ever-growing list, frustration creeping up on her. It wasn't like she could just go and ask Edward about all this, right? There was a good reason he kept all his secrets, well, secret.

She'd just have to figure all this out on her own. Somehow.

Her mind slowly wandering away from her, Hermione absentmindedly doodled Edward's jacket symbol on her list. She had been carefully inking in the wings when she had her epiphany.

Eyes widening, jerking out of her seat, Hermione's chair fell down backwards at the girl's momentum. Propelling herself to a familiar stretch of books across the library she had visited in her first year, the girl grabbed a huge, familiar tome, balancing it across one of her arms as she flipped madly through it's yellowed pages, trying to find what she was looking for.

There.

Right there.

A tipped cross with a snake coiled around it, two wings floating on either side with a tri-pointed crown hovering between them.

Nicholas Flamel's symbol.

That's what was on Edward's jacket.

But _why?_

Why, why, why, why?

That was always the question, it seemed.

Staring down hard at the symbol drawn in the book, Hermione fished for her memories, vaguely remembering Edward mentioning something about working with Nicholas Flamel.

Closing the book, Hermione stuffed it back on the shelf and made her way back to her table.

Finishing up the doodle of the symbol, she marked out the question about it on her list and labeled her doodle.

She went back to thinking.

If Edward would wear Flamel's symbol on something like his jacket, which he _never _took off, it most likely meant that the two had some sort of close relationship. The question was, what _sort _of relationship did the two have? Was Edward his apprentice? Colleague? Good friend? Possibly related?

Hermione wrote her notes down on the parchment, once again nibbling on a strand of her hair.

One question answered, even more answers to be found.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Remus once again sidestepped another third year. It seemed they were _everywhere _currently. Between the bookcases, at the tables, some were just milling about in the open, uncaring and free.

Shouldn't all these students be in class or something?

Hefting his books up even higher to stop them from jabbing into the students around him, Remus finally made it to Madam Pince.

"Hello Irma." Remus greeted warmly, trying his best to not invoke her wrath. The normally stern women seemed absolutely _livid _about the state of her Library, her hawk-like eyes trying to take in everything at once.

"Remus." She replied stiffly, grabbing his books so she could check them out for him "Werewolves? Hm, kinda going fast, aren't you?" She commented. Though Remus knew she was trying her best to be polite and keep herself civil, her voice was harsh and shaking from suppressed rage.

"Yeah, well, there are many smart students here and you know how they always like talking about the most dangerous things, so to speak. Thought I'd throw them a _bone_." Remus gave her a weak smile, trying his best to stop his fluttering heart. Even after all these years, lying still didn't sit well with him Didn't mean he couldn't do it and get away with it, however.

The women, unimpressed by his pun or even noticing his small lie, simply grunted in response, reached for the last book.

"So, why _are _there so many students here anyways?" Remus ventured on carefully, watching a table-full of boys pass notes around to one another.

Irma sneered angrily. "Edward Elric." She spat the name like a curse. "Apparently directed _all _his students in _all _his classes here for the day! Apparently he's sick or _something_. I don't know what it is, but when I see him...oh, he'll regret this." She finished with a snarl.

Remus said nothing to the librarian's morbid rambling, simply took his books and left with a small goodbye, diving out into the hallway. His mind was running a mile a minute.

Why would Elric direct all his students to the library for the day?

Tucking his books safely under his arm, Remus turned down a few corridors, making his way to the Hospital Wing.

Where no golden haired man waited.

Remus frowned as he looked down the beds for the third time, not seeing a single strand of gold.

If Elric was sick, then why wasn't he in the Hospital Wing?

Remus sighed and ducked out of the room. There was only one other place the man could be.

Though Remus wasn't _entirely _sure where the Alchemy classroom was, he did run into a couple of Hufflepuff's who gladly pointed out the way for him. After taking two wrong turns and going up the wrong staircase, Remus finally worked his way to the Alchemy classroom.

Only to find a weird sign posted on the knob-less door.

Remus stared down at the wood in surprise. Crouching down, he ran his hand against it. Besides a few unnatural stretches in the material, there was nothing. No hole, no metal, nothing that would point to there ever being a knob in the first place.

Furrowing his brow, Remus slowly straightened himself out, his eyes glancing over the sign, trying to make out what it said. Elric had some of the worst handwriting he'd ever seen.

The note didn't give away anything. It simply told all the students to go to the library for the class instead.

Frowning, Remus tightened his hand into a fist and raised it up, hesitating slightly. Should he dare? The wolf inside him was twitching, not liking being so close to where the eccentric man normally resided. Sniffing the air slightly, Remus briefly wished he could smell as well as he could in his wolf form to see if there was anything suspicious going on. Lowering his fist some, Remus pressed his ear against the door.

Nothing. There was no sound at all, like he wasn't there.

Raising his fist once more, Remus gave the door three loud knocks.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

No one answered.

Narrowing his eyes, Remus slowly turned around and slunk back to his own classroom, more questions tumbling in his mind.

Where was Elric?

~~0~~0~~0~~

**Ah, I'm super sorry guys! This was supposed to be out yesterday! But my friend had to crash at my house for the weekend and with her around, almost no writing can get done. But we _did _make an amazing coffee bundt cake, so it wasn't a total loss.**

**Anyways, school has been a drag, but it's almost over so yay for me. However, I do have a History exam Tuesday and if I don't pass it, I won't be a Senior next year. Gotta love standardized testing!**

**I've noticed a couple of people put in there reviews that they read this story instead of studying and I'm going to be a complete and utter hypocrite and say please don't read fanfiction instead of studying! I'm really flattered you guys like my story so much, but do make sure your school comes before fanfiction!**

**OH! And before I forget, I HAVE A TUMBLR NOW! I posted the question last time and a lot of you responded positively, so I went ahead and made a Tumblr for my fanfiction. My name on there is Lanx Borealis just like on here and I have the same avatar so it should be easy to find me. If your too lazy to actually look me up, a link to the page is on the bottom of my profile. I haven't posted anything yet, but feel free to drop on by and say hello and such! I'll get some stuff posted in the days to come, hopefully. Won't promise it'll be related to this crossover, however. I'm part of a lot of fandoms, after all!**

**Ok! Now it's question time!**

**Blue Teller- Well, you'll just have to wait and see. I got some big plans and I hope you guys enjoy them!**

**Alina97- I totally forgot about that! No, actually I WAS planning to write it, even had two chapters posted. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the worlds to meld together properly and in all honesty, after I started thinking about it I decided that I didn't want to rewrite the books a second time so soon. This series is very draining as I'm following a plot, not making up one. Trying to follow a plot to a point is much harder than writing something completely original. So, simply, it just didn't work out. **

**Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully, next one will be posted somewhat soon. I've started two other projects, but I think I've found a way to balance everything out. If it works, I should be able to update this either every weekend or every other weekend. We'll see how it goes.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	32. Another AN because I am a Douchenozzle

**Fuck, guys. What the hell happened? It's been almost 3 months since I updated.**

**And this isn't even a true fucking update. I'm a terrible person. I know this. And an asshole. And I'm so very, _very _sorry. Truly. Like, just kill me now for being such a terrible person to you guys. Because I really am I bad person for leaving you guys hanging for so long.**

**There is a reason, however. Of, there is always a reason, but this is a pretty piss poor one and, once more, I am sorry.**

**My motivation and muse to write this is shot. Shot dead. Cold dead on the ground, no more blood to even be found. It is dead dead dead. **

**When fanfiction starts being a chore to write, when I simply _don't _want to write because I'd rather write other stuff...that's really bad and that's what's happening.**

**As I mentioned a chapter or so ago, I got into _Gravity Falls _and to be honest, thought my obsession would last maybe a month or two before snapping back here to finish this. **

**After several months, 3 completed fics for the fandom and 2 more still ongoing, and no signs of slowing down or stopping anytime soon, I've come to the realization that there won't be an end anytime soon. I've never obsessed this hard over a fandom before. Not even through my _Doctor Who_ phase, which was really crazy. Still like _Doctor Who_, by the by, just not obsessed over it anymore. **

**How does that relate to _Keeping A Promise? _Simple: The FMA fandom is just not holding my interests right now. I thought that if I went and rewatched the anime, I might get back into it, but it's so long and I just don't _want _to sit and watch it. **

**It also doesn't help how fucking _hard _it is to write this thing out. Since starting fics whose plots come from my own mind, I've realized that following a plot set by a book is incredibly hard. It's not just flipping back and forth trying to find what happens when and where, it's also calculating where Edward is, where he fits in, if I have to rewrite the scene, if I can skip over it, all the little additions and the calculations on how AU this will be, thus changing the entire outcome of a situation, and how things that have happened in the past will directly change in the future...and etc. **

**Overall, a lot of work is put into everything to avoid plotholes, boring-ness, and every other small detail, leaving hours upon hours of note-taking and switching around and reading and rereading the same book over and over again...**

**I can do plain research. That's easy. But flipping through a book day in and day out, losing pages, flipping through a notebook, writing everything down, out of order originally, than sorting it all out is back breaking. Literally, in my case and it's even less appealing when I'm just not having all that much fun writing this out. **

**This fanfiction is actually starting to feel like _work _and is simply not enjoyable anymore. And that fact is heartbreaking because I can still remember all the love I put into this and that love just isn't there right now. **

**So, I've decided there are two routes I can take from here on out to try and fix this problem without going into another stupid hiatus because I'm gonna be honest with you guys; if I stick this in a hiatus now, it will never get done. End of story. **

**My first idea is simple- get interested in the fandom again. Since rewatching the anime takes up too much time, does anyone know any (preferably completed) FMA fics out there that are really, _really _good? I've read a handful of good ones, and I'm thinking reading another one might help quite a bit as it doesn't take as long as rewatching a series. As long as there's no RoyEd in it and is less than 100,000 words, I'm up too it. Any recommendations would be great at this point. **

**My second idea is a lot harder- put this fic up for adoption. Meaning, someone else write it instead of me. The issue with this is that I already have a lot planned out, and I mean I know how this is going to end and everything and transferring that info might be difficult. Plus, if you do adopt this, your gonna have to want to write it and complete it, have decent grammar skills and writing, not be an asshole, be okay with being spoiled of course, and not tell anyone else the future of this fic. **

**So, you got pretty big shoes to fill.**

**Pretty difficult.**

**Which is why I'm favoring choice 1 about 80-20%. **

**Anyways, I guess comment on what you guys want me to do as well as any fic recommendations you might have, or PM me if you are interested in (20% chance tbh) adopting this. If you DO want to adopt this, you have to have at least published a fic here, or have something on fictionpress. If you have neither, send me a short story of whatever in your PM. I have to know what your writing is like to even begin consideration. From there, we can discuss details and such.**

**Once again, I'm so, so sorry for all of this disaster. I kinda regret even writing this now knowing I don't really want to complete it.**

**Because I'm a bad person, and because the _wonderful _(/sarcasm) fanfiction. net doesn't allow A/N as chapters, here's the flashback for chapter 10. **

**Once again, I can't say enough of how sorry I am and how much of a terrible douchenozzle I am. **

**I am honestly, truly, sorry. **

~~0~~0~~0~~

"_Wha-What the hell happened?" Nicholas asked._

_The brown haired man wrung the sheets in his hands, staring at his partner with hard eyes. His entire body throbbed with cruel and merciless pain, from the tips of his still red ears to the edge of his too-long toenails. Bandages were wrapped tightly around his torso, holding flesh together and the methodical flow of blood inside. Nicholas chewed on the inside of his cheek a little, hoping fresh and sharp pain would alleviate the steady ache from his bones themselves._

_Edward shook his head slowly and handed him a glass of water, in which he didn't drink from. Nicholas continued to stare down the younger blond, trying to get the kid to give him the answers he needed and desired. After all, _he _was the hurt one and _he _deserved some answers._

_Good ones too. _

_Edward sighed and leaned back in the chair he had dragged to his bedside, pinching the bridge of his nose. In the span of about three seconds, Edward went from a young adult to a senior, looking older and more worn than ever, like the very weight of the world was resting on his shoulders; like he was Atlas himself. _

_Considering what the blond had told him, it wasn't far from the truth. _

"_This wasn't supposed to happen." Edward finally relented._

_Nicholas snorted. "A babe could tell that much! What. The. Hell. Happened. To. Me." Nicholas spelled out, voice tight with anger and fear._

"_I don't know! Okay? I _don't _know! Magic and Alchemy- they don't mix. There was a reaction, like the exchange was imbalanced." _

"_Unbalanced? All I was trying to do was transfigure one of your blocks of wood into a teacup! How would _that _cause a reaction?" _

_Edward looked back up at his friend, gold eyes dulled and heavy. "I don't know. Maybe magic fucks something up and causes things to be imbalanced somehow on a molecular level. I don't know how your wizard-stuff works! It makes no logical sense and breaks rules- not just alchemical rules but rules of Physics and the Universe itself! There's something missing, but who the hell knows what?!" _

_Nicholas sighed and waited for Edward to ride out his rant and subsequent temper tantrum. _

_After Edward came down from his high, still breathing a bit heavy, eyes tight and lines around his mouth even tighter, Nicholas finally spoke up. _

"_I don't know." _

_Edward snorted. "Well, isn't that a fucking surprise?"_

_Nicholas hissed through his nostrils, but continued onward. "But we're going to find out. After all, you are the best and smartest Alchemist on this Earth and I like to think I'm a damn good wizard. If there's anyone that's gonna solve this, it's gonna be me and you."_

_Edward stared at him owlishly. "I'm the _only _Alchemist on this Earth."_

_Nicholas smirked. "It's still a compliment, so don't complain!"_

_Edward finally cracked a small grin at him._

_Nicholas took a sip of water. _

"_Now, would you go please grab some notes from the table? Being bedridden isn't going to stop me, you know!"_

_Edward actually chuckled like at that, tightness disappearing in his eyes and around his mouth. "I would hope not, or I'd be disappointed!"_

"_Oh, and you don't want to disappoint the great a powerful Nicholas Flamel!"_

_Edward climbed up to his feet and turned around to leave, but not before tossing another quip behind his back. _

"_You just keep telling yourself that, Nicholas. You just keep telling yourself that." _

~~0~~0~~0~~


	33. Another Update You'll like this tho

**Ah hahaha, hello once again guys! It's been...well, not a while a while, about a week more or less since I put out that A/N and I got to say, I expected a lot more hate and anger than what I got. Everyone has been very kind and supportive and I really thank you all for that. No joke, it really helped and often times did bring a tear to my eye. **

**I also got a LOT more fic recommendations than what I thought I'd get too! Like, I have no clue how I'm gonna finish all these new fics, but I will! Some already mentioned I have read before so I also gotta say, you guys got a good taste in fics, not gonna lie.**

**But we're not here to discuss my feelings, how awesome you guys are, or other fics! So! Let's get down to business, shall we?**

**I got like, uh, two bad news-es and like, three good news-es or something. So here we go.**

**Good news! This story WILL be continued by ME! NO ADOPTION! *Victory ****kazoos play in the background* **

**However, huge thanks and love to those willing to step forward and huge thanks to Blue Teller for the confidence boost as well. They were what really made me decide to not give it up for adoption and carry on, so they deserve everyone's thanks! **

**More good**** news**.** This story is getting a HARD REWRITE! I went back and looked at my earlier chapters and...**

**Yikes. Why do you guys read this again? Like, I couldn't really get past my own first chapter it was so bad. *shudders* On top of that, fan fiction. net decided to fuck up my formatting as it so loves to do, cutting paragraphs in half and such. Not cool. On top of that my A/N's were REALLY...uh, stupid sounding. I mean, I'm still stupid sounding, but at least my awkwardness level has dropped at least 15 points since I first posted this. I think. **

**Another thing, and someone mentioned this in a review and huge thanks to the guest who did so, pointed out that I didn't HAVE to follow the books word-for-word. And then I felt stupid 'cause yeah, I don't have to follow the books word-for-word and that was one of my major issues with this fic. **

**So, on top of a hard rewrite is the fact that all of this will go majorly AU. More so than what was already planned. I'll use the books for minor references and might re-watch some scenes from the movies. From there it'll all be head canons and my natural flow. It'll be fun. Another thing is that I'll focus more on Hermione and Draco's secret friendship, Neville in general, and probably Luna in later chapters and books. Harry, of course will still be in all this, but he won't be the only star. The series overall will probably be darker as well and take a more realistic turn in some aspects. **

**The story line will stay the same, however so don't worry about that but the way Magic and Alchemy are going to presented next to one another will be different and...not exactly more concrete, but shouldn't clash and create plot holes like it did before. **

**Oh, and that reminds me. Plot holes will be eradicated. Hopefully. **

**Another thing that's gonna change is a couple of aspects from Ed's personality (before you guys panic- he'll still be the same Ed in this fic, you probably won't even notice, really. He'll be less teenager angst and more jaded with fond memories, if that makes any sense. He'll still have _minor _angst tho, of course, just not like before) **

**The last major change is going to be the flashbacks. They are going to be redone AND rearranged. Completely. They will also be longer and have more importance as well as major actual history in them (The Renaissance, Founding America, Manifest Destiny, Civil War, WWI, WWII, civil rights movement, Korean War and Vietnam War to just name a few things that will have arcs of their own, with a little magic injected when needed of course ;)) **

**Last good news of the night ties into the above- it's being rewritten so the format SHOULD stay fine and paragraphs shouldn't be cut in half. I'm also going to use the style of writing I use now, which is a trillion times better.(If you want to know how THAT reads, go read some other fics I've done. They're all Gravity Falls currently, but My Sincerest Apologies can be read by anyone, really. Wrote it like that on purpose. It's rated M tho so watch out.) On top of that, chapters will be longer on account of this change, as well as the fact that some chapters in this fic will be combined and/or removed *glares at chapter 2* because they're too short or do nothing to progress the story as a whole in any way, shape, or form. **

**So, we are now onto the bad news.**

**First of all- all this change is staying in a single fic. I'm not starting up a new one because that's annoying and I don't want to send you guys on a scavenger hunt trying to find it. So for a LONG while, reading this fic won't make any sense whatsoever. I will put an A/N as the first chapter to tell future readers this of course but to those who might want to reread it- yeah, not gonna make much sense as I edit this thing. **

**Secondly, this editing will take a little while. I am currently working on another fic (Life is a Fairy Tale) and I am VERY close to completion on it (4 chapters left) after that, I'm taking a small 2 week break or so before starting up the sequel. In that time, I'm going to work on this fic instead. However, afterwords it will drop in priority and things will be slower again. So...yeah.**

**Well, I think that's it for all my major news. I'm picking up a new notebook to plan shit in and this time I'm not going to write in sharpie (why the fuck I even did that in the first place is beyond me) **

**I'm pretty sure I hit everything that I needed to say, really. The summary might change as well since it's so static and bad right now, so there's something. **

**Anyways, huge love and thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, and of course reviewed. I would reply to you all, but that would be a very extensive task and would take much too long for me. On top of that, a lot of you are guest reviewers so it's kinda impossible. Just know that I love all you guys and you are literally the best person ever. Yes, you behind that screen. Point to yourself. You're really cool. Stay that way, it's a good look on you. **

**And because fanfiction. net doesn't allow A/N's to be posted as chapters here's a weird thing that makes no sense and is pathetic but it technically a chapter. Enjoy.**

~~0~~0~~0~~

Edward was really bored one day so he took a walk around Hogwarts, contemplating his life and the universe in general.

Then he decided he really didn't need to do that because he's already done that five-fucking-billion times and he needed to stop being an angsty teenager who wasn't even currently a teenager and grow up already since he apparently hadn't done that the past six-hundred or so years.

So Ed went back inside and took a nap he didn't need 'cause hell; everyone needs a pointless nap once in a while.

Oh, and he cancelled all his classes because he's cool like that.

~~0~~0~~0~~


End file.
